Nine Tailed Serpent: The Darkest Era
by LT2000
Summary: Sequel to Nine Tailed Serpent. Uzumaki Naruto made an impulsive deal with a crimson-eyed devil, leaving his home and friends behind. Now, he wagers his life on a hopeless plan to obliterate Akatsuki from within, with naught but his existence as the prize.
1. Genesis

**Chapter One: Genesis – Big Trouble in Little Ame**

Disclaimer: Naruto's not mine. I'm not getting paid to write this, et cetera.

**Author's Note: This work is a sequel to Nine Tailed Serpent, and assumes that the reader has completed the previous installment. **

* * *

"Fucking rain…" A blond-haired teenager grumbled underneath his breath as he stomped along the uphill road, splashing mud about as he walked. "I swear it hasn't stopped once since we crossed the damned border."

His short pants and sleeveless shirt were both sopping wet due to the ceaseless deluge and giving him a rash. The blond reached over to his wrist and whipped out his short _jian_ blade – the peerless _Kusanagi no Tsurugi _– that was resting within the custom socket on his Konoha ANBU-issue bracer, and used it to hack apart a low tree branch in a pointless attempt to vent his irritation. The action provided him with no happiness.

"Be patient, Naruto-kun," a low, whispering voice murmured a step behind him, almost impossible to hear over the pounding rain. "I believe we're getting close to the meeting place."

The blond, Uzumaki Naruto, living container to the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox – a _jinchuuriki,_ stopped walking and leaned against a tree trunk to allow his companion to pass him. The two were on a mission, and all that Naruto knew was that their goal was to provide assistance in overthrowing the Hidden Rain Village's government – a tall order. The blond had a strong suspicion that his 'partner' knew some additional details pertaining to the task that he wasn't sharing, but he dared not accuse the other shinobi.

'_Fuck you, you creepy bastard.'_ Naruto groused in his mind. _'You're a dry as a bone under that getup.'_ The other man, Akatsuki member and S-Rank Konoha Missing-nin Uchiha Itachi, strode past him, dressed in a thick black cloak embroidered with red clouds with a bamboo _kasa_ ringed with paper strips resting on his head. Itachi glanced back at him and arched a brow, and the _jinchuuriki _let out a wince, sensing that the older teenager had somehow read his thoughts. For what seemed like the hundredth time that week, Naruto regretted his choice to leave his village behind and agree to a role in what seemed like an inevitable suicide pact at Itachi's provocation. _'Destroy Akatsuki, indeed,'_ he despaired. _'Argh, I'm such a fucking moron…'_

'_No help for it,'_ Naruto attempted to console his mind as he raked a hand through his spiked locks, wringing out the water as he used the tree as cover against the rain. _'I'm committed now.'_

And it was true. Even assuming that Itachi would allow him to return home, which the Uchiha wouldn't, his own treason was no doubt known in his village now. Naruto had vanished without permission on a mission to retrieve the Slug Princess Tsunade, the chosen successor to the retired Sandaime Hokage, with Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame over a month earlier now, and whether Tsunade had agreed to return to Konoha or not, Naruto's actions would have been reported. Perhaps the village's Hunter-nin were pursuing him even then. He could never return, and he missed home and his people there.

"Oi, Itachi-san," Naruto muttered in a moderate voice, wanting to break the rain's monotone.

The _genjutsu_ master didn't respond, however, and remained standing in his place on the path. The demon vessel blinked and opened his mouth to repeat his address. However, he stopped short, sensing the situation a bit later than his companion. Itachi's head craned back towards the _jinchuuriki._ Naruto nodded and made a Konoha ANBU hand signal representing 'three,' knowing that the Uchiha, who had once been a captain in Konoha's elite masked assassination corps, would recognize it. Itachi pursed his thin lips and returned a 'seven,' along with another hand sign that indicated that the duo was now surrounded. The blond glowered back, irritated that he hadn't noticed, and more pissed because he knew that Itachi _had_ noticed, but hadn't bothered to do a thing about it.

As though on cue, cloaked shapes began to land inside the trees and crags surrounding Naruto and Itachi, and one materialized in the mud near them. The blond sneered and looked at the newcomer's _hitai-ate._ The protector bore the Hidden Rain emblem, but had a horizontal line slashed through it, indicating him as a rogue shinobi. Seven or seven hundred, Naruto didn't care. He wouldn't quail against an entire nation, so long as he had Itachi with him. The demon vessel ran chakra through the sword in its hand, and the Kusanagi extended to its proper combat length. The nearest Rain-nin, a kunoichi took a tense step back and palmed the spiked metal whip coiled at her side, and her cohorts likewise prepared to do battle. Naruto made to rush and strike her down in his chronic impulsiveness, but Itachi's hand gripped his wrist, cool and strong. The _jinchuuriki_ looked over into the Uchiha's swirling Sharingan with an indignant expression, but relented.

"This is restricted ground, trespassers," the kunoichi ground out in no demure tone, her hand still on her weapon and her voice altered due to her breathing mask. "Intruders aren't tolerated here." The blond had a sneaking suspicion that these were the Amegakure rebels that he and Itachi were being hired to assist, but he kept his own counsel.

"Please excuse us, ma'am." Itachi murmured in his emotionless voice, releasing his hold on Naruto's wrist and raising his hands in a placating gesture. "This spirited person and I are travelers, on a pilgrimage to meet with God."

Naruto needed all the expert shinobi training that he could muster not to stare at the Uchiha in reaction to what seemed to be a ridiculous comment. The blond averted his gaze towards the muddied ground, as though he were embarrassed about losing his temper. He wasn't, and the cursed seal on his neck pulsed with a malevolent desire to kill the woman barring his path. Naruto hissed under his breath and shoved the dangerous impulse down, cursing the moment that the Sannin Orochimaru had marked him with his _juin._ The blond sensed a second rebel shinobi landing near him, next to the kunoichi leader, and Itachi's sleeve brushed his arm as the illusionist stepped back closer to him.

"He wears the sacred raiments," the bigger man whispered in a reverent tone, indicating Itachi's cloak. "He must be God's agent."

Naruto was torn between the urge to look at his companion in sheer puzzlement and the overwhelming desire to snort in contempt to the whole thing. He guessed that this whole religious nonsense was a code routine that the client and Itachi had agreed to use, but that knowledge did nothing to change how stupid it sounded.

"No, don't be ridiculous," the kunoichi shook her head in veiled disdain as she reproved her zealous comrade "There's no telling where this stranger might have gotten that clothing. Remember that the heretic lizard's tricks are innumerable, and his spies likewise."

That was enough to validate Naruto's suspicion. He hadn't thought much about it upon hearing about the mission, but there was a chance that he might run against the man who ruled the Hidden Rain, Hanzou the Salamander, in combat. To think that he might have to take on a shinobi who had bested all three Sannin at once, no matter how old he might now be, sent a chill running down Naruto's spine.

"That's not good enough," the leader then turned to Itachi and spoke, and the blond had to wonder whether this bitch realized who in the Hell she was running her mouth to, or whether she even cared. Uchiha Itachi could garrote her and all her cohorts in a mere instant, provided it suited his mood to do so. "Leave this place now."

Itachi remained standing in place, unimpressed with the order, and Naruto grinned and moved into a more prepared stance, placing his back to the older genius's. No blows were exchanged, however. A woman's voice rang out near the gathering, strong and clear.

"Enough, soldiers. You can all stand down." Naruto's head craned over towards the newest arrival as the rebels all abandoned their perches and knelt. A woman with blue hair dressed in an Akatsuki cloak was standing among some trees near a rock hillside, holding a large oil paper parasol in her hand to shield against the rain. From the distance Naruto could glimpse a large white blossom pinned in her arranged hair. This Akatsuki member turned to the demon container and Itachi next and beckoned to the Missing-nin pair. "Follow me, please."

Though her voice sounded perhaps inviting, there was no mistaking that it wasn't a request, rather a command. Thus, Naruto couldn't help being a bit surprised when Itachi heeded the woman's will without the least resistance. For his part, he hadn't noticed her being there at all until she'd revealed her presence, and he knew quite well that the Ame rebels hadn't either. Their surprise seemed too genuine to be an act. Itachi had detected her presence though, no doubt. Naruto peered over at the blue-haired woman with a narrow stare, and then trudged along behind the Uchiha, the rain soaking him again in an instant.

"Remain on alert and maintain decorum at all times, Naruto-kun," the slate-haired illusionist warned in a quiet voice as the two neared the waiting kunoichi. "You will soon meet with Akatsuki's Leader. It would be unwise to insult him."

Itachi gave a warning glance towards the Kusanagi in the teenager's hand. Naruto got the hint but didn't heed it. Like Hell he was going to go walking into the tiger's den unarmed. His mind was racing, ever the more convinced that his companion had led him straight into a trap. Itachi hadn't mentioned a word about this supposed Leader earlier. The kunoichi ran through several hand seals and pressed a hand against a boulder on the hillside. The rock shimmered and dissolved, revealing a narrow tunnel that appeared to lead underground. Naruto took the rear as the trio entered the cave, unwilling to expose his back.

The chamber was dark, as expected, and Naruto had an almost impossible time seeing Itachi and the other Akatsuki member due to their black cloaks. He ran more chakra into his sword, causing the blade to radiate with a brilliant white light, illuminating the whole passage. The Uchiha and the woman both turned back in response to the sudden light. Naruto kept the blade in his right hand, returning the stares without intimidation. The kunoichi took in his appearance with a neutral and callous expression, her gaze trailing his whisker marks, and then traveling down his arm to examine the ANBU tattoo on his right bicep and at last the Kusanagi in his hand. Then she turned to Itachi, dismissing Naruto without a word and appearing to regard the blond as nothing worth considering.

"You were expected long ago, Itachi-san," Naruto picked up on a certain passive dislike in the woman's tone as she addressed the stoic Uchiha. "Your late arrival has slowed our plans to an unacceptable degree."

Her attitude irritated Naruto, and the manner in which she'd outright pegged him as unimportant brought him back to his weak childhood. He'd _made_ Konoha acknowledge him. From the Hokage right down to the lowest villager, some loved him, others respected him and most hated him, but _no-one_ treated Uzumaki Naruto as though he were nothing. _'I'll make you notice me just the same, bitch. Wait and see,'_ he vowed inside his mind as he stared at a small metal piercing located under the Akatsuki kunoichi's bottom lip, throwing his spiked head back to shake the rainwater loose.

"The weather impaired our travel," Itachi answered her in an unconcerned tone and resumed his measured walk down the passage, taking the lead.

The woman stared at his back and moved on behind him, again sparing Naruto no attention, and the _jinchuuriki_ kept to the rear, his mouth curling into a mulish glower.

More than inclement weather had impeded their trip. Evading all the countless Hidden Rain shinobi patrols had been a serious bitch, not to mention having to travel along the harsh semiarid borderlands between Suna and Konoha in order to reach _Ame no Kuni. _

From there, the walk continued on in oppressive silence. The path soon widened outward into a large cavern. The Kusanagi's sacred light spread outward around the enormous room, but wasn't able to provide much vision in the larger area. However, Naruto was able to see the gigantic statue standing within, a hellish monster. For some reason, the sight made his stomach churn. Even more unsettling, however, was that Itachi seemed to be on his guard and tense about something. The change was subtle, but Naruto had spent more than enough time in the older teenager's constant presence to be able to detect the minute change in his usual placid manner. The reason wasn't long in coming.

"Uzumaki Naruto," a smooth, charismatic voice then echoed through the cavern. "So, we meet at last. You have kept us waiting."

The blond stopped walking, and looked up to where another cloaked silhouette sat with legs crossed atop the statue's head. Then the man was standing on the ground near to him. Naruto hadn't seen or sensed him move. The Akatsuki shinobi stepped into the Kusanagi's light, allowing the demon container to take a look at his exotic appearance. The man's nose, ears and mouth were covered with piercings and he wore a slashed Hidden Rain protector. However, something else dominated Naruto's attention.

'_Those eyes…'_ He possessed some _doujutsu_ that the blond didn't recognize. From that and how Itachi tensed in his presence, Naruto also realized that this man, whatever his name was, had to be Akatsuki's Leader. The pierced man had a presence about him that screamed danger, even though his demeanor seemed neutral. That it, until he reached Naruto's position, at which point his attitude changed in an instant.

"You're a brave soul, _jinchuuriki,"_ the Leader hissed, his tone now cold and harsh as he looked hard at the Kusanagi, "indeed, brave or perhaps stupid, to venture into God's realm with a drawn weapon."

The sudden, murderous spiritual pressure caused the blond to go weak in the knees, and nothing but his iron determination not to _look_ weak kept him standing. Still, even the Leader's malice couldn't begin to match the demon sealed inside his stomach, though it ranked as a distant second still, nothing to sneer at given the other monsters that Naruto had met. The pierced shinobi made both Kisame and Orochimaru seem like children.

He shot a glance towards Itachi, whose lips were pursed into a tight, thin line. The illusionist didn't look back at him. His attention was instead concentrated on the Leader. Naruto should have paid attention to the Uchiha's advice, he now realized. He shortened his weapon and lowered it, sucking in a low breath through his teeth, aware that both the Leader and his kunoichi accomplice were observing him. He hated having to bow, but now wasn't the time to stand on his ego.

"I apologize, Your…er, Godship," Naruto stammered, not having a clue he was supposed to address a lunatic who pretended as though he were God. He didn't dare call the man 'Leader,' as he hadn't been accepted into Akatsuki. At least he now knew what the religious bullshit outside earlier had been all about, again wishing that Itachi had provided a little advance warning. "I meant no insult."

The blond returned his short blade to its wrist socket. The cavern blackened with the light now extinguished, reducing the three cloaked Akatsuki members: the Leader, the kunoichi and Itachi into mere shapes in the darkness. _'Another brush with death,' _Naruto realized as he exhaled the earlier breath. Had he not been what he was and crucial to the Leader's agenda, the pierced man _would _have killed him over the imagined slight.

"Come," the Leader commanded Naruto in a curt voice as the man turned about and began walking through the dark cavern.

The _jinchuuriki _simmered, glancing towards Itachi again and seeking some direction. He hated being beckoned like a dog. The Uchiha looked back and then started behind the Leader, tucking his arm inside his cloak. Naruto matched pace with him, knowing that he had no choice but to endure it. _'For now, at least,' _he amended in his thoughts with a mental snarl. _'And then when the right time comes…'_ he allowed his thought to trail.

The pierced shinobi led the group across the pitch-black cavern and into another narrow rock tunnel, which changed into what Naruto thought was some weird techno architecture. The modern corridor had electric lights to provide some dim vision, at least, and emptied into another room. This one had several tube-like structures which were covered with large, opaque sheets that allowed no glimpse as to whatever resided inside them.

"That's…" Naruto breathed out when he reached the exit and looked down the steep mountainside, glimpsing Ame's industrial metropolis, with its steel buildings and pipes. Factories churned noxious silver smoke into the air, where it clashed with the pouring rain. Tall buildings stretched deep into the horizon.

"That," the Akatsuki Leader parroted, "is our paradise, and tomorrow, we will claim it."

He wasn't sure that he'd call it a paradise, but the blond knew that he'd never seen such a place. The largest cities in his homeland didn't begin to compare, and neither did those in Kiri. Konoha was a rustic backwater relative to this urban nightmare.

"Most impressive," Itachi murmured as lightning arced in the skies, illuminating the horizon. He waited to allow the resulting thunderclap to pass, and then continued in his monotone voice. "I wasn't aware that such a place as this even existed."

"This metropolis will serve as Akatsuki's main stronghold," the Leader's azure-haired kunoichi accomplice explained, causing Naruto to look back towards her. "All that remains to be done is to evict the present ruler," she continued, as though overthrowing Hanzou the Salamander were some mundane chore.

For three Akatsuki members, perhaps it _was_ nothing more than that. Naruto remembered how much carnage two pairs had wrought upon his own home village, and this time the Leader would be participating.

"I suppose that's what we'll be doing, then," the blond concluded, though the silence that met his comment made his wish he hadn't spoken at all.

'_Bah, I guess I haven't earned the right to voice an opinion,' _he groused in his thoughts. _'That shark bastard Kisame was right. The real world isn't like Konoha at all.' _To the Leader, he was a weapon to be used and not a person to be respected, it seemed.

"No," the Leader shot at last shot him down with a single word, still gazing into the metropolis below. "I will kill Hanzou alone. You and Itachi will meanwhile assist Konan in spearheading the main assault. A _jinchuuriki _ought to be suited to such a task." The last sentence was coupled with a challenging stare, and Naruto nodded, knowing that no matter what answer he provided, it would be deemed inadequate.

"Accommodations have been prepared down the hall," the kunoichi, Konan as the Leader had now named her, spoke to the two teenagers as she gestured down the lit corridor nearest their position. "Rest now while there's still time. The operation begins at sunrise."

The dismissal was rather obvious. Itachi nodded and departed, with Naruto marking the illusionist's lead. The blond never looked back, and seemed relieved to escape the meeting with the Leader with his head intact.

"You should rest also, Konan," Pain noted once the two teenagers were gone, his tone lighter. "Tomorrow will be a grueling battle."

"Not with those two around," the blue-haired woman muttered, glancing towards the residential corridor, where Naruto and Itachi had headed. "I hope that _jinchuuriki _doesn't lose his head out there. I'd rather not have us inherit a scorching ruin."

"He'll behave," the Rin'negan wielder assured. "He wants to be let into our cabal. Provided he does well, I'll consider the idea."

"Better to keep him where we can watch him until the time comes," Konan agreed as more lightning split the dark skies. Neither needed to comment upon what that 'time' meant. "He might even prove to be an asset in the mean. He's got guts enough, at least."

"You were impressed with that belligerent act back there," Pain sneered, though with a little amusement, telling the woman more than asking what she had thought about Naruto's dangerous gamble with the Grasscutter.

"Few people would dare to have the sheer _gall_ to do something such as that." Konan replied with a noncommittal shrug. "Itachi told him that he would be meeting 'the Leader,' I believe."

"Those two do seem to have some rapport," the Leader commented. "Itachi was the person who managed to convince the _jinchuuriki_ to come along. I suspect collusion," Pain continued on in a low murmur, both thinking out loud and addressing Konan. "I'm not quite certain what relationship might exist between those two, but perhaps we can maneuver it to our own ends…"

'_Or deal with Itachi if it becomes necessary,'_ was the unspoken alternative, but both knew it.

"I'll keep a close watch on them both during the operation," the paper manipulator promised. A harsh wind gusted across the mountain base, causing the lights to shudder.

"Please do," Pain responded with a sigh. "Now leave me be and get some rest. I must meditate on tomorrow's battle with Hanzou."

Konan nodded and took her leave. Pain continued staring into the horizon well into the night, never moving or uttering a sound.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Late that night, or perhaps into the next morning, Naruto wasn't all too certain about the hour, he sat up in his cot and looked around the darkened room. Konan had called these miserable quarters 'accommodations,' but such a term rankled with even a rigid minimalist like him. He would have expected at least _one_ bed in the small, barren room he'd been given to share with Itachi, but no such luck. Looking around the room, he noted that the illusionist was no longer there, his own cot abandoned.

'_Yep, this is what you abandoned home for,'_ the blond chastised his rash decision in his mind again, looking around the hole in the rock that he'd been provided, betting that the Leader and Konan had much nicer living quarters. _'You're a real genius, Naruto.'_ At least Itachi had been made to share his plight, so he knew that it wasn't discrimination. Not that the stoic Uchiha had said a single word, or otherwise showed irritation with the poor 'accommodations' at all. _'Ah, the Hell with it,'_ the demon container concluded as he rose. _'I'm not getting any more sleep tonight.'_

Naruto walked across the room to the wall and considered the article located there. Two new cloud-patterned Akatsuki cloaks had been hanging on a rack there upon his and Itachi's arrival. He reached over and took the remaining one in his hand, squeezing the material, somehow knowing that it was meant to be his. The cloak was strong but still pliable, augmented with thin wire mesh inside the seams to provide additional protection. Naruto then slipped the ominous black and red garment on, leaving his torso bare underneath to let him have unrestricted access to his summon tattoo in the battle that loomed on the horizon.

There was no mirror in the room to let him gaze upon his image, but he imagined that he looked 'badass' enough in the huge Akatsuki cloak, grinning at the thought. The high collar covered his whisker marks, hiding his distinguishing characteristic. He supposed, when paired with a ridiculous hat like those he'd seen Itachi and Kisame wearing, that he would be more or less unrecognizable. The cloak swished a little as he walked across the room again to leave, but he had no trouble moving about in it otherwise.

Naruto slinked down the tunneled corridor, doing his best not to make noise, as though it mattered. The people here would be able to sense his movements no matter how cautious he tried to be. The Leader and Itachi were both S-Class criminals, and the _jinchuuriki _had no reason not to assume that Konan was the same. Nevertheless, the blond thought it prudent to use stealth. He soon reached the exit that led onto the mountain outside, the room with the strange tubes. The demonic blond peered down at the strange contraptions.

'_Hmm…'_ He was curious to see what was inside, but at the same time, he was sure the Leader would notice. He decided that it would be better not to be too inquisitive. He'd poked the man with a sharp stick once earlier, and dared not chance a repeat. The Leader might not kill him, but Naruto was quite certain that the Amegakure rebel commander had other, likewise unpleasant punishments, and the blond was within the man's power here.

'_Speak of the devil,'_ the_ jinchuuriki_ groused in his thoughts. Down the main hall, in the massive cavern with the statue, he could sense the Leader's menacing presence. _'And, so much for that idea,'_ he decided to abandon his walk around the compound, not in the least caring to have a moonlight rendezvous with 'God.' Instead, he looked towards the route leading outside. The downgrade was rather steep, almost a sheer drop down the mountainside. There was no beaten path regardless. Not a problem at all.

Naruto hopped outside and molded chakra beneath his sandals to catch on the mountain rock, still wet and slick due to the downpour earlier in the night. For once, the skies were hushed, and the moon shone bright overhead. The blond ran around seeking a suitable place to relax, and soon stumbled across a small plateau that held some grass and trees. He leapt down onto the level ground and reclined against the nearest tree trunk, content to lounge about until sunrise. The _jinchuuriki_ cracked his neck and looked up. Two glowing red lights peered back down at him in the darkness.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," Uchiha Itachi droned, crouched upon a twisted tree limb above the blond demon vessel's head.

The _jinchuuriki _recoiled in surprise and almost tumbled over the mountain's edge. He managed to catch his momentum in time and rolled back over to his previous position. Itachi's cloak was draped over the branch near him, leaving him dressed in the sleeveless combat suit that he wore underneath. The blond could see that he had a shuriken in his hand, and seemed to be threading shinobi wire through the central hole.

"Don't _do_ that," Naruto began in a low hiss, but Itachi quieted him with a hand motion.

"One moment, please," the slate-haired shinobi murmured in response, reaching towards his cloak.

He produced a second shuriken, lined with wire in the exact same manner, and then reached into his equipment pouch with his other hand to retrieve a smoke grenade. The illusionist looked over the edge and glanced around the mountainside, and then ripped the pin on the canister loose and chucked it towards a thick bush lower down the slope. A loud rustling and squawking accompanied the bomb's hissing explosion. A dark shape rushed into the air, and Itachi hurled the shuriken at the same instant.

The two shinobi stars whizzed past the shape, and Naruto glanced over at the Uchiha as he tugged on the wires in his hand. The shuriken arced back around, and a second later, a huge, plump cock pheasant landed on the grass with a dull thud next to the _jinchuuriki. _The dead bird was bound tight within the coiled wire, twin shuriken imbedded deep into its heart and severed spine.

"Daaamn," was all the response that Naruto could muster, awestruck at Itachi's peerless marksmanship. He doubted whether Tenten back home, who devoted all her training time to working with weapons, could have nailed a shot like that in the dark. He _knew_ that he could never have done so. The older teenager didn't acknowledge the praise, whether or not it pleased him.

"Time to eat," was the emotionless answer, as the Sharingan master again reached into his cloak, this time retrieving a thin storage scroll that contained the pair's stocked provisions, as well as their cooking and eating utensils.

Naruto cleared a spot in the grass, now accustomed to their dinner ritual. An important rule in Itachi's camp was that he who didn't work, also didn't eat. He'd learned that one night in the River swamps, when he'd sat back on his rear and let Itachi and Kisame prepare their supper. He'd been quite surprised when he hadn't received his helping. He'd grasped his lesson, and had made sure to do something to assist the next morning. Though Itachi had dragged him along on this mad enterprise, the other teen wouldn't pamper Naruto, which was something that the blond_ jinchuuriki_ appreciated.

"Er, Itachi-san," he ventured, and received a blank stare in return. "There's something I needed to ask."

"Here," the Uchiha deadpanned and retrieved several items inside the scroll, tossing the lot onto the grass as he reeled in the pheasant. "Prepare those, please." Naruto glanced at his part: an onion, three withered carrots and several wild potatoes that Itachi had managed to dig up on the road. He reached inside his cloak into his equipment pouch and pulled out a kunai, taking up the bowl and small chopping board that the Uchiha had also provided.

"Right," he said and began to peel a potato, "but about the Leader. I wanted to ask about his _doujutsu."_

"His Bloodline Limit is known as the 'Rin'negan,'" Itachi replied in a meticulous lecturing tone, as though he'd been expecting the question all along. "I don't know too much about it either," the genius acknowledged, "except that the_ doujutsu_ was said to have once belonged to the Rikudou Sennin."

'_Rikudou Sennin,'_ Naruto echoed in his thoughts, dropping the peeled potato onto the board and starting to dice it into little cubes. _'The Six Path Sage, and the father of modern ninjutsu.' _Like all kids who had ever stepped into a shinobi classroom, he knew about the man, the _original_ shinobi, whose true name had long since been lost to the ages.

There were some who believed that the Six Path Sage was still the greatest shinobi to practice the art, but Naruto was inclined to disagree with them. _Ninjutsu_ was a never-ending work in progress, like all martial arts tended to be. Each new generation was, then, superior to the last.

Konoha could be used as an example. The Shodai Hokage and his brother, the Nidaime, brought the isolated regional clans together into one united village. The two brothers then mentored their successor in the Sandaime, Sarutobi Hizuren, who was on the whole superior to them both, despite lacking the First's Mokuton abilities. Sarutobi taught the Sannin, who all would grow to be at least equal to him. From _those_ three, the Toad Hermit Jiraiya in particular, would come a man named Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime, who all acknowledged as the greatest shinobi that Konoha had ever produced.

'_Father,'_ Naruto's heart turned bitter as his thoughts turned to the Fourth, who had made him into a scapegoat. No matter how pure the man's motivations might have been, it was hard to pardon the man who had cursed his own son in order to protect those nameless ingrates in Konoha. For him, at least, who had been made to bear the consequences. The rest were quite content to love him in ignorance.

"Forget it," the blond muttered and shook his head when his companion looked over with an arched brow, noticing his sudden anger, "it's nothing."

'_That's right,'_ he soothed his roiling mind, _'nothing at all.'_

"Madara once told me that Pain's Rin'negan allows him to manipulate his chakra's nature however he chooses, to master all six incarnations," Itachi then went on without having to be asked whilst butchering the cock pheasant with practiced ease, unaware or perhaps uncaring that he'd revealed the Leader's name to Naruto.

"There's got to be more to it than that," the demon vessel commented. Free chakra nature manipulation, while an impressive talent to be sure, didn't seem to be enough to be the Leader's exclusive power, not given what he'd seen some other subordinate Akatsuki members do during the Missing-nin organization's raid upon his own village.

"I agree," the illusionist whispered. "However, I've never had an occasion to observe Pain or Konan in combat until this assignment. I shall learn their secrets soon enough," he commented, seeming rather pleased in his strange, impassive manner. "Not even the Leader will be able to keep his powers in reserve against Hanzou the Salamander." The need to know his abilities was dire, as their suicidal mission to neutralize Akatsuki would require them to kill the Leader, Pain, sooner or later.

"Yeah, well, he knows that too," Naruto muttered, remembering Pain's insistence on having an exclusive duel with the Hidden Rain's aged dictator. Perhaps that was the reason behind the order, that he didn't want his underlings to glimpse his abilities. "He isn't gonna let us in close enough to watch him, and we've got our own work to do."

"Leave that part to me," Itachi insisted in a calm voice, but the hastened spin in the Uchiha's glowing Sharingan warned the blond that he was treading on thin ice. The Konoha _Nukenin_ disliked being second-guessed, and having his skills called into doubt.

"Fine then, whatever," the demon container grunted and returned to his prep work, now peeling and dicing the carrots.

That ended the conversation. Itachi valued his quiet time and seldom made small talk, something that had bothered Naruto to no end on the desolate road. Entire _days_ had passed on occasion without so much as a word exchanged between the two shinobi, with precious little else to break the oppressive silence. Kisame, asshole though he was, had at least spoken more than an isolated sentence now and then about issues unrelated to work. The blond _jinchuuriki_ hadn't thought that he'd end up _missing_ the blue bastard when their paths had diverged.

Naruto skinned and minced the onion in silence, and emptied it into his bowl with the remaining ingredients. Itachi was done preparing the meat, and was now rigging their metal all-purpose cauldron on a camping stand. He tapped the storage scroll again, and a large burlap sack materialized in his manicured hand. The illusionist emptied the remaining rice into the pot without care, which struck Naruto as odd, knowing how rigid he'd been about rationing it all through the trip. The Uchiha then ran through a couple hand seals, too quick to allow the blond to read the sequence, and touched the cauldron, making water materialize inside.

"Fire, please." The _jinchuuriki _grimaced, not having noticed the older teenager looking at him until he'd spoken.

He nodded but said nothing, placing his right arm down on the grass. A medium-sized red snake poked its head out and slithered along the ground, and then coiled up against its master's wrist. Naruto reached over and stroked its head in a gentle manner. The serpent's maw opened wide, and the summoned reptile then spewed its scorching hot breath against the iron cauldron, heating the water and rice within. Itachi stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon as the stew pot reached a simmering boil. The blond noticed that the swirling motions were in exact time with the older shinobi's Sharingan.

'_Creepy bastard,'_ he thought with a shudder, but Itachi paid him no mind as he cooked his rice in silence.

Then the pheasant and other ingredients went in, and the blond continued to observe the illusionist while the latter labored over the cauldron. The aroma caused his stomach to rumble a little bit, a less than subtle reminder that he'd never eaten supper the previous night and was starving. He would stop stirring and taste the stew now and again and put more seasoning into the pot as needed using the basic herbs and spices that he kept in the provision scroll.

This was another thing that Naruto couldn't do, cook a good meal. Itachi was talented in multiple things, it seemed. The blond meanwhile was a 'genius' in the killing arts, but as helpless as a babe otherwise, with zero extracurricular skills. Take his chakra, and he'd never be able to survive in the world. Then, he supposed that it was a good thing that his inner reservoir was near to limitless, thanks to his _Bijuu._

'_Damned fox,' _he cursed the vulpine monster nonetheless, holding the demon in no less hatred than the Yondaime.

"Let's eat now," the long-haired Uchiha then said, thrusting over a bowl that was loaded to the brim with pheasant stew. "Please be quick. There's something important that we need to go over once we're done here."

"Thanks," Naruto replied, meaning it, as he reached over to grab a spoon and took a bite.

The stew was piping hot and delicious. The rice in it was a little bit overcooked, but Naruto didn't notice it much. He ended up eating two bowls without pause, and started to reach over to prepare his third when he noticed Itachi's painted nails tapping against the metal pot. He remembered that the Sharingan master had wanted to 'go over' something.

"So," he drawled in a casual manner, to hide his embarrassment at not recalling earlier.

"Not out here," the Uchiha murmured, seeing right through the poor act as expected. "I'd much rather we not raise an alarm." He placed a lid on the cauldron and returned it to the paper scroll, where the remaining stew would keep until later.

"Er, alright," Naruto replied, a tad puzzled now.

"I have developed a particular technique that should prove valuable in the battle ahead." Itachi baited his hook without expression. "For me this _jutsu_ has limited usage, due to its high chakra requirements. You, however, should be able to put it to better use than I can."

Naruto understood his meaning, knowing that perhaps the Uchiha's single weakness was his chakra reservoir, which amounted to little more than an average Jounin's. Not that it mattered much, as he couldn't imagine an opponent surviving against a serious Itachi long enough to ever let stamina become an issue. He was interested in the older teen's proposal, though he also considered it strange that the stoic Missing-nin wanted to teach him something. Men like Itachi were supposed to guard their _jutsu_ like priceless treasures.

He didn't question, however, knowing that doing so might aggravate the sometimes unpredictable Uchiha and would serve no other purpose. _'Better to follow along,'_ he decided, shrugging his shoulders. _'Besides, it won't be my ass in a sling if we get back late because of it.'_

"There's still time enough until sunrise to do this," the illusionist said, his lips quirking into a tight smile, leaving the _jinchuuriki_ to wince, thinking that Itachi had somehow read his mind. "The outcome will be well worth the minor risk this time, Naruto-kun."

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

The 'good' weather lasted into the morning hours. Three cloaked caricatures stood on a low point on the hillside, lurking as close to the Rain's industrial capital's outer limits as possible while also maintaining their desired vantage point.

Minutes earlier, the Amegakure rebels' advance detachment had made their initial incursion into the capital's central industrial district. The attack was to occur in waves. The vanguard was to make some noise, draw Hanzou's supporters out into battle and then pretend to retreat, at which point Naruto, Itachi and Konan would engage and do their business, and wipe out whatever reserves showed up to assist, then branching outward to rout the rest. This would skew the odds to give the outnumbered rebels an advantage. The large main detachment would sweep in last and mop up, securing the metropolis one zone at a time, while the Leader tracked down and dealt with Hanzou. Killing the dictator would end the civil war in one decisive stroke.

'_A good plan,'_ Naruto thought, _'assuming that Hanzou bites on it. If not, this is going to get ugly in a hurry…'_

The blond had his doubts. Hanzou the Salamander was no idiot. He couldn't be, to have risen to the position that he was in and remained there. He wouldn't commit all his resources to one rebel attack. Naruto wouldn't have cared much about the mission under normal circumstances, but he needed to make an impact on this mission to secure his place in Akatsuki.

'_It doesn't really matter,'_ he decided. _'We've got the power here. That old lizard's going to die today, no matter how many others have to burn with him.' _The rebels' side had Akatsuki, and the Salamander's didn't. The rout was inevitable. Perhaps it'd serve Naruto even better to have the attack not speed as planned. He'd have more chances to make his presence known and steal the whole damned show then.

"You seem distracted, Naruto-kun," Itachi glanced over and admonished the blond in a low murmur. "Focus."

"I was thinking," he replied with the slightest smirk, tipping his Akatsuki _kasa_ back on his head a little. "This'll be a good morning."

For some reason, the insinuation that a violent, blood-drenching war would be a 'good morning' seemed to irritate Konan. Her outward expression revealed nothing, but the minute change in her spiritual pressure revealed her anger, and she made no attempt to hide it either. Naruto had assumed that Akatsuki's elite ranks were stocked with murderers and sociopaths all around. Furthermore, Konan and Pain seemed to be the ones masterminding this rebellion, and so it was strange that she would have a problem with her own coup attempt. Perhaps there was something that he wasn't getting.

'_Fuck it,'_ he grunted in his mind. _'We'll kill her eventually anyway. It's all in the plan.'_

"There's our signal to advance," the blue-haired kunoichi spoke out in a cold and imposing voice. "Don't lag behind."

The last comment was directed at Naruto in particular. The blond _jinchuuriki_ had to repress the heated urge to snap back at the woman, but had no time to make a comment. The two Akatsuki members were gone in an instant, moving into and through the metropolis at speeds that the demon container had to exert his utmost to keep pace with. Naruto had little choice but to resort to his cursed seal to gain a boost to his speed, as much as he hated to use the vile thing over something so mundane. He shuddered as the polluted curse chakra slid through his inner coils like oil. His Akatsuki cloak at least managed to conceal the telltale markings on his skin, though he imagined that Itachi and Konan could sense the evil power regardless.

Neither commented, however, and the blond had no trouble matching their speed with his increased power. The explosions and battle sounds grew louder as the trio approached the industrial sector. Naruto couldn't help but think about the last time he had been in this position, when Akatsuki had attacked Konoha. And here he was now, helping those same people to wreak similar havoc upon someone else's home. The three arrived at the battle zone moments later. The rebels' advance unit was outnumbered, trapped, and being picked apart in the streets. Hanzou's supporters were winning the skirmish.

"Hn," Itachi grunted without emotion, "our adversaries appear to have been better prepared than anticipated."

Even as Itachi spoke, an Ame rebel was hit with several incoming shuriken, and then a Hidden Rain regular completed the kill with a short sword. Another rebel was blasted to pieces via a _ninjutsu _burst, while a third managed to wound the swordsman who had killed his comrade, but three other Rain shinobi leapt on his back and impaled him with kunai. The blond demon vessel said nothing as he watched and instead drew the Kusanagi and extended the blade. He let that action speak in his place, and glanced at the Uchiha, who nodded back, removing his _kasa _and reaching over to part his cloak collar.

"This was a planned ambush. There must have been a traitor somewhere in our ranks…" Konan grated out, her voice like ice. The woman then looked over towards Itachi and Naruto, appraising them both with a suspicious stare, but at last she said, "Kill them all."

The three ominous shinobi leapt down into the crowded street in unison, and the largest lightning bolt that the blond had ever seen tore through the air upon their landing, marking their arrival. For a moment, the ongoing battle halted as the resulting thunderbolt rocked the ground. The seven remaining rebel shinobi, who were all wounded, and the hundred or more Hidden Rain shinobi all turned to regard the new arrivals. Naruto removed his bamboo hat and tossed it to the side, and then began the massacre without preamble, sending his sword screaming through the air at the nearest Rain-nin.

The man prepared to dodge the attack, but the Kusanagi began to glow and its speed increased several times over. Naruto's weapon gored straight through its victim and hurtled on to lodge into a second Rain shinobi's throat. Naruto then created three replications with a manic chuckle, and he and his clones somersaulted over the shocked horde towards where the Kusanagi had ended its travel.

The other two moved into action as soon as Naruto had launched the sword. Konan leapt high into the air as she dissolved into countless paper sheets, which then twisted together in midair into two long throwing spears. The twin lances both darted towards a single Rain-nin, both lodging into the person's chest. Their damage done, the spears unraveled into their component sheets again, which then spread out and spiraled towards the dead man's surrounding comrades, dicing and shredding them in a paper storm. The bloodied paper sheets recombined into the human Konan, who stared down without remorse at the mutilated shinobi around her.

"Fools," she whispered in a harsh voice, as even more paper emerged into the air through her sleeves. The new sheets came together to create pure white wings on her back. Konan rose into the air, looking down upon the battle as though she were an avenging angel on high, her stare cold and pitiless. "Mere mortals cannot hope to withstand God's Will."

Uchiha Itachi meanwhile strolled over towards the nearest group in the street, pulling out his steel _tanto_ with an impassive expression, as though the scene bored him. He met an incoming shuriken barrage with an idle stare, and then threw his own to knock them aside. Itachi sidestepped a kunai swipe and lashed at the wielder with his short sword. The Rain regular ducked the apathetic attack, and the Uchiha drilled him with a crushing thrust kick as he attempted to rise again, turning his ribcage into gravel and sending him into a power pole, where he collapsed unconscious to the ground. The illusionist then brought his _tanto _over and pivoted to intercept a sword slash. The same swordsman who had killed the rebel shinobi moments ago now glared at Itachi through their crossed weapons. The Uchiha's lips quirked into the slightest grin, and his Sharingan glowed and spun.

Then, without warning, the Ame swordsman broke the deadlock and turned around and impaled his incoming comrade in the shoulder. The wounded kunoichi and the other two Rain-nin who were attacking with her all halted in surprise. Itachi pointed at one who happened to glance in his direction, and he in turn swiped at the shinobi next to him with his kunai. The Uchiha genius continued in this vein, and soon enough over two dozen Hidden Rain shinobi were either slashing or hurling _jutsu _at imagined phantoms, or locked in combat with their own comrades, believing them to be rebel supporters.

Meanwhile, Itachi was more or less content to stand back and observe the spectacle. A Rain-nin closed in behind him, and he reached back to catch the man's wrist. He snapped his opponent's limb with a simple twist, and turned about to sock the shinobi in the gut. The man slid down onto the pavement, knocked out cold, and the illusionist then returned his attention to the mock battle he'd started. His human puppet show came to a tragic end, however, when countless sharp paper bolts rained down onto the ensnared shinobi and turned them all into human pincushions.

Itachi glanced up into the air, where Konan hovered, looking down at her dead victims with her arms crossed. The kunoichi noticed his attention and looked back, her expression hard. Neither had the occasion to speak, as a massive explosion rocked the entire industrial district and seemed to shake the earth to its core. The monstrous blast sent Konan reeling back in the air, where she almost collided with a building, but managed to regain her bearings in time. Itachi staggered back a step, throwing up his arms to shield his sensitive vision, hair whipping out behind him.

"You're getting a bit overzealous, Naruto-kun," the illusionist muttered, his lips twisting into a smirk, as though he'd planned on it.

"That careless idiot," Konan hissed, staring down at Itachi, who she knew had showed Naruto the technique he'd used. "I _knew_ this would happen. He'll reduce the entire metropolis into ruins at the rate he's going. You're responsible, Itachi."

The Uchiha didn't deign to respond, striding over the carnage near him towards where Naruto was causing a minor catastrophe down the street. Itachi tucked his arm back into his cloak, which looked as good as new, no blood staining it at all despite the battle raging around him, and looked as calm and stoic as ever as he traversed the rubble.

Naruto took the Kusanagi, which was still impaled in its target's bleeding corpse, into his hand as he somersaulted through the air. The _jinchuuriki_ then swung towards his right as he landed amongst the Rain shinobi, decapitating one and going on to bite deep into his neighbor's neck. The blond whirled and stabbed another in the chest, and straightened his hand as he sensed a shinobi charging at his back with kunai in hand. He pointed towards his newest victim, while pushing his sword deeper into the last.

Four blood red serpents lanced out through his robe sleeve and coiled around the incoming arm holding the kunai, binding it into place. The snakes bit deep and the poor Rain-nin choked out a tortured scream, venom ripping through his bloodstream. The kunai clattered to the ground as the man went into convulsions, and Naruto tossed him into an approaching unit. The whole group staggered with the impact, and the clones moved in to surround them all.

"Boom," the _jinchuuriki_ sneered and detonated the clones using Itachi's _Bunshin Daibakuha_ technique, showering him with blood and gore, staining his cloak so that the patterned red clouds were almost impossible to distinguish in the blast's wake.

Not that he would have noticed. The explosion's concussive power sent the blond hurtling back down the street, where he landed with a thud, rolling back several times. Concrete and asphalt rubble rained down onto him as he sat prone in the bloodied street.

"Ergh," he groaned as he struggled to stand, noting that the Kusanagi was still somehow in his hand. "I might've overdone that one a little…"

Naruto could now sense Itachi and Konan coming in behind him, which returned him to his own senses. He took his sword in both hands and leapt into the clearing smoke, rushing back into the battle and unwilling to let the other two beat him there.

The remaining Rain-nin were still regaining their balance, and were unprepared when Naruto set upon them again. The blond came down with a demonic hack and cleaved one into halves, and then turned and bisected another at the waist with a spinning slash, while his shadow snakes darted out to bite out a third's throat. He parted his Akatsuki cloak and pressed a bloodstained thumb to his summoning tattoo, then slamming his palm onto the ruined pavement as the whole lot attempted to counterattack with weapons and _jutsu. _

An enormous golden serpent materialized in smoke to intercept the massed barrage, its metallic scales rendering the kunai and shuriken harmless. The _ninjutsu_ meanwhile tore into the beast's side, and it hissed in pain and snapped down at the shinobi in response.

"Hah, useless," Naruto crowed, allowing his shadow snakes to drop their previous target and open their mouths, while he created additional shadow clones behind his summoned monster's cover.

The Rain-nin were too preoccupied with the huge attacking serpent to heed the smaller ones, which unleashed their scorching breath on command. Four identical Grand Fireballs plowed into the distracted Ame detachment, incinerating several. Their screams were like sweet music to his addled ears.

Naruto's clones then approached on the other side, but were noticed and dispersed. The real blond mouthed a curse and leapt onto the golden serpent's head, sword in hand, leering at the reduced horde. Their numbers had been reduced to three dozen or so between his attacks, and Itachi's and Konan's. There had been over a hundred to begin with.

"He…he _can't _be human," a scared Rain Genin exclaimed through the chaos, taking an intimidated step back. "He's a _monster!"_

His appearance did little to dissuade the notion. Naruto parted his bloodstained Akatsuki cloak even more, to reveal the monstrous scar over his heart and the tribal, glowing curse marks crisscrossing his muscled torso. He grinned showing pointed demonic teeth and gripped his weapon, visible crimson _youki _and purple curse chakra swirling around him in a horrible mixture.

"…_Jinchuuriki._ There's nothing we can do against a power like this…" a more experienced shinobi leader muttered. "Damn that rebel scum to Hell, bringing this horrid abomination into our motherland." The older man turned towards his comrades and ordered, "Retreat, we'll regroup with our comrades at the command center."

The Rain-nin then started to withdraw, some with _Shunshin_ and the less capable ones running down the street. Naruto made a shadow clone and handed the Kusanagi over.

"Tch," the blond hissed at their retreating backs, leaping back to the ground and then running through several high-speed hand seals. "You miserable cockroaches can't escape me," he roared at his enemies, "now, die! _Katon: Karyuu Endan!"_

Naruto's dragon rushed down the wide street, overtaking those who were too slow to make their escape in time and incinerating them. Few among them, however, were caught in the massive blast, adding to his rising irritation. The _jutsu _continued on and plowed into a large industrial building when the road split, causing another raucous explosion.

'_Oh, but the fun's not over yet, fuckers,'_ Naruto vowed, retaking his sword and preparing to mount his serpent again._ 'I'll chase you all down and squash you like the maggots you are.'_

"Naruto-kun," a voice spoke, causing the blond to whirl around, swearing death to the person who had dared to interrupt him. That resolve dissipated when he saw that it was Itachi, who still looked immaculate despite the bloodshed all around him. "There's no need to pursue stragglers. You've done enough."

He knew, on some level, that the Uchiha was right. However, he was powerless to stop his pounding, raging bloodlust. He couldn't repress the _need_ to continue until none remained alive. His cursed seal was throbbing, pouring more and more power and malice into him, pulling on the demon's vile power and presence in addition to its own.

"The orders were to kill them all," Naruto snarled back, daring to talk back in his heated rage, "and that's what I plan on doing."

"You're being irrational." Itachi wasn't impressed with his petulance, and made Naruto look into his glowing, spinning Sharingan.

His violent urges began to subside, as some power that surpassed his own control repressed his rage. Naruto likened the experience to the time when his old ANBU captain had once pushed down the evil inside him using the Shodai Hokage's skills. He didn't know how the man who has known as Yamato had possessed those precious skills even now, but Itachi was managing the same outcome without them, using _his _own bloodline power instead. The _jinchuuriki _slumped over, exhaling a shuddering breath as his _juin _markings retreated into their seal and the demon's tainted presence dissipated inside him, leaving him unharmed and with more than enough chakra to use, but somehow drained nevertheless.

Meanwhile, Konan levitated in the air above them, regarding the pair with an unreadable look. Naruto stared back up at her, both exhausted and bored, as though seeing her hovering in place upon white paper wings didn't interest him in the least, which it didn't. He'd seen stranger techniques and he could take to the air in his own right, when needed. The blond then smelled moisture building in the air as a harsh wind gusted over the metropolis, and he knew that rain was imminent. Their good luck had run out at last

The winged kunoichi sensed the change as well, and careened to the ground, landing in a low crouch, her paper appendages melting into her back. Konan's parasol seemed to materialize in her hand, and the downpour began as soon as she opened her umbrella. For Naruto, the cold water seemed to cleanse his lingering anger, and also restore his vigor.

"Tenshi-sama," a man's voice called out in the rain, as a rebel shinobi landed via _Shunshin _on the ruined pavement and addressed Konan, kneeling next to the austere kunoichi. "I've come with a report, and to request new orders."

'_Angel,'_ Naruto thought about the name, realizing that it suited her earlier appearance. _'Pain thinks he's God, and Konan is His angel…'_ At that moment, he understood that the Leader and Konan shared some relationship that ran much deeper than a designated partnership in Akatsuki_. 'I'll have to be more careful around her,'_ he reasoned, cursing his earlier mistake, knowing that challenging her would be the same as challenging Pain.

"Proceed with the report," the woman ordered, her stare still concentrated onto the two cloaked teenagers.

"Hanzou's remaining supporters have been routed," the nameless shinobi said as he launched into his combat report. "Most are abandoning the Hidden Rain, but those who hold onto the will to resist us, some dozens in total, appear to be reorganizing near their leader's residence to make their last stand. I've been ordered to request directions as to how to proceed next."

The blond was sure that he would be ordered to participate in the next attack, and didn't have that much desire to do so now. Konan crossed her arms beneath her chest like Naruto had seen Uzuki Yuugao, his teammate in ANBU, do on occasion when thinking. His stomach tightened at the recollection. He missed the plum-haired kunoichi more than most other people back home.

"Have our soldiers blockade their position, but with strict orders not to engage," Konan replied in a commanding voice. "Fighting such a desperate group head-on will result in high casualties, and we will need our people alive and strong to establish control in the metropolitan districts."

"Ma'am," the shinobi acknowledged and withdrew, again via _Shunshin._

Moments passed, with the three standing in silence, Konan under her parasol and both Naruto and Itachi getting soaked in the rain. Massive chakra signatures appeared in the horizon, and the blond knew that it had to be Pain and Hanzou beginning their battle.

"Seems like the main attraction's getting started now," Naruto commented, wishing that he were there to watch the epic showdown.

Itachi glanced over but said nothing, though Naruto knew that the illusionist agreed with him, having said as much during their meal. The Uchiha had also stated that he had some method through which to accomplish that mission, but the blond knew better than to ask.

"He can handle Hanzou without our help," Konan said without the slightest doubt or hesitation, which Naruto thought naïve given the Leader's opponent. "Meanwhile, our next assignment will be to neutralize the last holdouts. Expect a much tougher resistance."

"These shinobi will be better organized," Itachi added, emotionless. "This time, our presence _will_ be expected."

Naruto raked a hand through his hair, a little bit irritated with the two others patronizing him with their words, as though he'd never been in a perilous situation. The _jinchuuriki _knew what he was headed into. During the previous engagement, even though Hanzou's men had known about the attack, Akatsuki's presence had been a surprise. Those who lacked the courage to die had run, leaving behind hardcore patriots who were willing and prepared, and indeed expecting and even desiring, to perish protecting their home and leader against the rebel hordes. These were the men and women that he, and Itachi and Konan would be up against. For Akatsuki members, even, this meant extreme danger.

His hand trailed to his heart and the twisted scar there, remembering his battle with the Oto-nin Kimimaro, Orochimaru's most devoted servant, who had gone to war despite an illness that was set to claim him. Naruto had been killed in that battle. His unique powers had allowed him to come alive again and win, but never had he come so close to meeting his end. He knew, perhaps better than his two associates, what it meant to do battle with a person who had nothing remaining to lose, and how hazardous such a person was.

'_Hazardous, yes,'_ he admitted, _'but I've got a trump card this time around.'_

"There's no reason to risk our heads," Naruto ventured. "Listen, I've got an idea that might resolve this mess in one shot…"

Naruto waited, pleased that the two more experienced shinobi seemed willing to hear his proposal without apparent contempt. He then explained the general stratagem that he'd pieced together while listening to the earlier rebel messenger's report.

"That's," Konan allowed her sentence to trail, racking her brain over the right word.

"Brilliant, I know," Naruto smiled, pleased with his 'genius.' "Much appreciated."

"Perhaps," she admitted, "but _revolting _was more what I was seeking." The blue-haired kunoichi's voice was laced with a neutral aversion. "You hold more in common with Orochimaru than mere summoning techniques." Konan exhaled a short breath, and then continued, "Your 'plan' is something that I might've expected that contemptible snake to have concocted."

"Like I said," his eerie grin widened a bit. "Brilliant."

Naruto hated Orochimaru, to be sure, and had more than enough valid reasons to do so. However, he would acknowledge that the man was a diabolical mastermind, and he also knew through Itachi that the snake man's last scheme had killed two Akatsuki members.

"His plan is a shinobi's solution," the Uchiha droned, Sharingan aglow as he considered. "Ruthless, but it carries the greatest reward coupled with the least risk."

That equated to glowing, vocal praise in Itachi-speak. The two then looked towards Konan, both requesting and demanding her approval. Neither was willing to place their lives in more peril than the assignment necessitated, and _both_ were quite willing to place Naruto's 'brilliant' idea into motion with or without her. Konan was trapped. She realized her dangerous position as much as her two male associates, and didn't seem to resent the matter. Not much, at least.

"I still maintain the opinion that it's a vile scheme." She demurred while shaking her head, but then moved on to comment, "Regardless, however, I'll acknowledge that this plan will give us the best odds to succeed, whereas a direct attack won't. Let us proceed."

The agreement reached, Naruto and Itachi both created several shadow clones, which milled about the carnage in preparation to do their assigned parts. The three shinobi meanwhile waited, and concentrated on attempting to read the battle between Pain and Hanzou in the distance, impossible though such a thing was. Time passed, and the metropolis seemed to quiet, as through the sole battle raging was the duel between the leaders. The blond wondered whether, and hoped that, the holdouts would abandon their positions to aid the Hidden Rain's beleaguered dictator.

'_It'd damned sure make our job a whole lot easier,'_ the demon container groused.

"I think that ought to be enough," Itachi's monotone voice interrupted, as his Sharingan regarded the shadow clones, both Naruto's and his own. Neither the blond _jinchuuriki _nor Konan disagreed with him. The preparations were all set, and in quick time.

There was no need to voice an order to move out. The three cloaked shinobi leapt into the raining air and onto the nearest building, leaving the clones behind to accomplish their mission and bring the plan to its brutal conclusion. Destination: the last battleground.

**End Chapter One**

_**Next Chapter:**__ The last sparks burn the brightest. Naruto's 'inspired' plan comes to light in battle, while Pain takes on Hanzou the Salamander. The cycle of life continues, as the Hidden Rain's violent death brings about something new. God's Kingdom is born into an uncertain era. And perhaps, some crucial events occur in Konoha as well._


	2. War God

"_I think that ought to be enough," Itachi's monotone voice interrupted, as his Sharingan regarded the shadow clones, both Naruto's and his own. Neither the blond __jinchuuriki __nor Konan disagreed with him. The preparations were all set, and in quick time._

_There was no need to voice an order to move out. The three cloaked shinobi leapt into the raining air and onto the nearest building, leaving the clones behind to accomplish their mission and bring the plan to its brutal conclusion. Destination: the last battleground._

**Chapter Two: God's Vengeance – Hanzou's Last Stand**

Disclaimer: Naruto's not mine. I'm not getting paid to write this, et cetera.

* * *

The Hidden Rain elite stared outward into space with a vacant expression as a cloaked man with long, straight hair and several piercings maintained a vice-like claw grip upon his skull. Saliva dribbled down his chin, and he shook while his attacker ripped through his mind with his interrogation technique.

"I see," the Pain incarnation known as 'Ningendou,' the Human Realm, commented to no-one in particular. "That's where the old man's hiding…"

The long-haired Rin'negan bearer pulled back with his hand, but retained the claw position, as though he were attempting to pull on something intangible. The Rain-nin keeled over onto the ground, his pupils dilated. Ningendou then released the broken man's stolen soul into the air and turned back to his sole companion, another cloaked and pierced Pain incarnation. This one likewise had long hair, but his was tied back. This Pain was 'Chikushoudou,' the Beast Realm.

"Hanzou's supporters perish in the streets while he cowers in this shelter," the Beast Realm added with a disapproving sneer, "how pathetic."

"The heathen can hide no longer," the Human Realm spoke. "That one served among Hanzou's personal guard," the Pain incarnation continued, indicating towards the soulless husk that now stared into eternal nothingness on the ground. "I shall take point. Follow me."

The two Pains then started down the corridor inside Hanzou the Salamander's haven. Ningendou used his stolen knowledge to navigate the mazelike compound with its twisting halls and countless stairwells without making the slightest mistake, likewise maneuvering the pair past the aged Hidden Rain dictator's _fuiinjutsu _traps and the innumerable other snares that had been put in place to protect the old man. The two headed up a long staircase, stopped a level below the top and stopped at a rather inconspicuous wooden door.

"Hanzou should be behind this one," The leading Pain told his accomplice, "unless his guard was mistaken."

The other Pain, Chikushoudou, understood the implication and ran through several quick hand seals, and then slammed his palm down against the ground. The resulting smoke rushed through the narrow, darkened corridor. Four additional Pain incarnations were present when it cleared, including the man who acted as Akatsuki's Leader. Ningendou looked towards the other Pains, who all moved into their arranged positions, and then reared back and kicked the door wide open, breaking the hinges.

Hanzou the Salamander was waiting on the other side, alongside several elite guards. The man was dressed to do battle.

"Now," the old dictator ground out, staring down Ningendou, still oblivious to the remaining Pain incarnations waiting outside in the hall. His voice was garbled due to his custom breathing mask, modeled to look similar to a samurai's helmet. "The criminal Pain has made his long-awaited appearance, I see. I've been waiting so long to settle our issues in person, rebel swine."

Lesser shinobi wouldn't have even discerned the hand sign, given the darkness and its near imperceptible speed. Hanzou spewed a large lightning bolt that screamed towards Ningendou, somehow able to channel the attack through his breathing mask without damaging it, and the dictator's guards charging behind the _jutsu_ with their shinobi blades in hand. The Pain Rikudou reacted to the attack at once, owing to the Rin'negan and its inborn sight sharing capabilities. The Beast Realm incarnation summoned another Pain into his place and retreated back into the shadows.

This one was an overweight man with piercings and short, slicked hair. He wore an Akatsuki cloak like his cohorts, and he likewise possessed the Rin'negan. He was the Pain incarnation 'Gakidou.' The Fat Pain grinned and threw his arms wide, and the incoming lightning attack was sucked into his stomach. Gakidou disappeared as Hanzou's guards descended on his position, with the summoner Ningendou recalling him into the corridor.

The guards landed and attempted to withdraw but were unable to do so in time to avoid Pain's counterattack, when three incarnations leapt to the attack. The three guards were impaled with wicked-looking black metal spears. The three Pains – Chikushoudou, the Leader, and another, each held one twisted lance. The Rin'negan trio released their killing instruments, leaving their hapless victims skewered and unable to save themselves, rendered helpless due to the spears' special chakra distortion attributes. The three Pains maneuvered into the room, revealing another waiting in the ruined entrance behind them.

For his part, Hanzou didn't seem too perturbed at being outnumbered with his guards as good as dead. The newest Pain – the hulking, almost inhuman 'Shuradou,' the Asura Realm, leveled his right arm at the dictator. The Salamander stood and watched as the Pain incarnation's limb detached and the wrist and rocketed towards him. The rocket punch blew straight through Hanzou's chest and crashed into the wall behind him. The Rain's leader looked down at the gaping hole in his torso, almost curious, and exploded into water.

"_Mizu Bunshin,"_ a thickset Pain – the third spear-wielder called 'Jigokudou,' the Hell Realm, observed. "This was nothing but a diversion. He's escaped."

The last Pain, the spiked-haired Akatsuki Leader, strode deeper into the chamber and looked around. He passed a guard, who attempted to reach at the Pain's ankle despite the metal instrument impaled into him. The Leader – the Pain known as 'Tendou,' the Deva Realm, looked down at the man with a stoic, uncaring expression and brought his sandal heel down onto the guard's exposed neck, which snapped with a crunch, and Tendou moved to the location where Hanzou's water clone had stood. The other Pain incarnations likewise entered the room, at which point a low hum sounded and a strange, sudden pressure echoed in the air.

"Hmm, explosive seals," Tendou commented, nonchalant while taking in the strange markings adorning the room's walls, which glowed as the Salamander's chakra poured into them. "Not a bad attempt at a trap, heathen," The Rin'negan bearer's voice trailed. "But nowhere near good enough."

The Pain Rikudou clustered together inside the small room. None was the least bit nervous or alarmed, as though Hanzou's inescapable deathtrap were somehow beneath Pain's collective concern. The seals detonated, causing explosions on all sides, which initiated a violent chain reaction around the building. More explosive seals activated and reduced the compound to ruins, with the six Pains trapped inside. The blast caused the heavens to quake.

The smoke took a long time to clear, but when it did, a large centipede summon was curled amongst the smoldering rubble and steel. The insect's chitin exoskeleton was riddled with scorch marks, bleeding holes that oozed with white blood. The summon keeled over onto the rubble, revealing six unscathed Pain bodies standing within the coiled centipede.

The six Rin'negan bodies looked around, the torrential downpour obscuring their vision a little. Hanzou's ruined compound sat atop a tower located within the capital's aquatic residential district. There were countless tall spires suspended on concrete posts inside a lake, each with wide steel drainage pipes running down the sides towards the water.

One Pain incarnation glimpsed the man glaring down at the group, and the others all looked over as one, no signal needed. The real Hanzou was situated atop the district's highest tower. His arms were arms crossed and he was prepared to enter battle. Tendou's mouth curled in utter distaste. To Pain, the present circumstances were unacceptable. No mortal could be allowed to look down upon God.

The leading Pain, the Deva Realm, motioned to the monstrous Shuradou. The hulking Rin'negan bearer grinned and extended his arm again. The skin covering the limb seemed to melt, revealing a metallic skeletal arm lined with rockets underneath. Shuradou thrust his arm above his head and the missiles streaked into the air and swirled over Hanzou's position.

The Salamander leapt down towards the Pain Rikudou as the rockets descended upon his perch and blew apart the structure. The Human Realm moved at once to intercept him. Hanzou avoided the hand-to-hand combat specialist's attack and spun, drilling Ningendou with a hard thrust kick that send the Rin'negan wielder scrambling across the rubble. Three Pain incarnations abandoned the area and separated onto various other towers in pairs to allow them to surround and observe Hanzou through multiple independent perspectives. Tendou and Gakidou remained behind with Ningendou.

Hanzou glanced at the three Pains nearest him with suspicion. No words were exchanged. Posturing was beneath them both. Hanzou glimpsed the Rin'negan, but the old man was much too consummate a shinobi to allow his surprise to show.

The dictator made another hand seal, and ten _Mizu Bunshin_ materialized around him. He ran through additional seals as his water clones spread out. The pouring rainwater in the air over Hanzou's head swirled and melded together into liquid spears, which sped down at his command towards Gakidou and Tendou. Three clones moved to intercept the incoming Ningendou, engaging him in a cautious battle. Meanwhile, the other two Pains leapt aside in opposing directions to avoid the attack.

This was the dictator's intent, however, to separate the Rin'negan pair. The water spears pulverized the concrete rubble upon contact. Three more clones moved to engage the rotund Gakidou. Two _Mizu Bunshin_ launched water blasts at the obese Pain incarnation, again utilizing the rain. Gakidou swallowed both incoming _jutsu_ using the same method as earlier. The third, however, used a less obvious method, and used a technique that caused the ruined concrete below the Fat Pain to morph and swirl into quicksand. Gakidou's skill was unable to negate the 'attack' due to its indirect nature and he was pulled into the wet sinkhole, immobilizing him.

The original Hanzou and his remaining water clones concentrated their attacks upon Tendou, who evaded them with a strange and unconscious ease. The Deva Realm didn't need to look in order to be able to react to and neutralize his opponents' moves. The leading Pain didn't bother to counterattack, however, as though watching his aged nemesis struggle in a vain attempt to harm him amused the man who would be God. Hanzou didn't allow his irritation with Tendou's dismissive tactics to show, however.

The Salamander threw several kunai with explosive tags towards his stoic opponent. Tendou made no initiative to dodge the attack, and a large summoned crustacean burst out through the rubble to protect him. The beast's hard armor repelled the kunai, which clattered aside and plummeted over the ruined tower's edge, exploding in the air.

"Interesting," Hanzou grunted and he leapt back to avoid the creature's counterattack. The crab spat high-pressure water bubbles at him. No doubt his comment alluded to the creature's sudden appearance, as Tendou hadn't utilized a summoning _jutsu._

Tendou said nothing and continued to stand in place, his Rin'negan still observing Hanzou's movements. The old man blasted a lightning bolt at the crustacean, which penetrated through its skull as though the armor protecting it were mere paper. The attack incinerated the beast's brain and terminated its existence in an instant. The aquatic beast careened over the tower's edge and dropped into the churning water below. A summoned hawk streaked overhead and descended to extricate the trapped Gakidou, who then massacred the water clones near him with ease and made towards Ningendou.

Hanzou seemed to realize that he was about to be outnumbered three to one again, and chose to attack the lone Deva Realm while he still had the chance. He sealed the same _jutsu _as earlier, again causing the rainwater to pressurize into water lances. His clones moved to circle and attack Tendou in a pincer movement. The Rin'negan wielder made no move to escape, and instead waited until both attacks were bearing down upon him.

"Enough messing around," Pain, Tendou, then spoke with purpose, his voice cold and clear.

His Rin'negan brightened and a massive shockwave shredded through the space around him, eviscerating Hanzou's water clones and reducing the incoming lances to vapor. He never had to twitch a muscle. The leading Pain incarnation stared Hanzou down with the Rikudou Sennin's power.

The old man had no time to react, as the other two Pains then rushed him. Hanzou swept Gakidou's legs as he approached and then turned to block Ningendou's strikes. One punch got past his guard and split his lip, but he grabbed the roundhouse kick that came next in both hand and twisted, putting the Human Realm on the ground, and then stomped down hard on the Pain incarnation's back.. He noticed Tendou coming in behind him, but too late. Hanzou hissed when the black metal weapon ripped through his back.

"You would have done better to run, Hanzou," Pain chided in a calm voice as he loosened his grip on the chakra conductor that he'd impaled into his opponent.

Hanzou burst into smoke, leaving Tendou with a wooden log skewered on a pole. The Rin'negan wielder looked over across the ruined tower. The old man materialized within a standing water puddle. The rain continued to pour, and lightning lit up the skies. Tendou then tossed the metal pole in his hand over the building's edge, keeping his stare concentrated on the Salamander.

"Don't act so conceited, criminal," the Hidden Rain's war-born leader ground out as he rose and cracked his neck, his baritone voice dripping with scorn. "I've butchered a hundred would-be usurpers in this place. You are nothing but a statistic to me, 'God.'"

"There is no point in struggling," Tendou commented, his tone clinical. "Your era has now reached its conclusion. You will die here," the Pain incarnation promised, his Rin'negan glowing bright in the drenching rain. "God has willed it."

"Hmph," the aged dictator grunted, "such delusional nonsense."

Massive explosions then rocked the area, but this time neither Pain nor Hanzou had a hand in them. Tendou glanced towards the other two Pain incarnations, and the three leapt down onto a concrete bridge connecting the ruined tower to an intact building next to it. Meanwhile, the remaining three Pains – those not involved in the battle at present, moved positions in order to compensate.

The Pain Rikudou could hear agonized screaming in the near distance, as Hanzou's last remaining supporters perished in combat together, and the six incarnations smiled as one. Pain took pleasure in their enlightenment. He, as God, would introduce pain to this whole immature world, and guide mankind to onto its proper path.

"You are a deranged lunatic, Rin'negan or not." Hanzou shook his head and growled as he pointed towards the scene below with a shaking hand, enraged at seeing his devoted partisans being butchered. "No God could ever smile upon such wanton carnage."

"Normal people cannot comprehend God's vision," Ningendou replied, unmoved. "There's no need to understand. You will perish, along with this heathen dictatorship. Now, let's begin in earnest, Hanzou. No more holding back."

Tendou motioned with his hand and the three peripheral Pain incarnations came down to link up with him and the others. Hanzou touched his split lip and ran through several hand seals, and then slammed his palm onto the concrete. The area around him exploded into white smoke, and when it cleared, an enormous summoned salamander stood next to him. Tense seconds passed and then combat began anew without a word, and this time much more intense. The Rain continued to weep.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

"Damn," Naruto breathed out, taking in their present location, "and I thought the other place was weird-looking."

His two companions remained silent, not that he'd expected either Akatsuki member to respond. Konan didn't like or trust him and made no secret about either, and Itachi was Itachi and was thus quiet as the grave. The three were now crossing a concrete bridge that led deeper into what the kunoichi had described as the residential district. The Hidden Rain dictator's remaining supporters were entrenched around his residence there.

There were tall concrete and steel buildings sticking out through the lake all around, with pipes that ran down the sides into the water. Bridges and power lines connected the massive buildings together. For someone who was used to Konoha, the metropolitan architecture was downright alien. Due to the blinding rain, the blond had a hard time seeing down into the lake. The rainwater was getting into his cloak and giving him a rash as well. He wished that he hadn't discarded his _kasa_ earlier.

"I wonder about that explosion we heard earlier," the blond then tried again, the silence irritating him as much as the rain, "it sounded serious."

"Perhaps the Leader has dealt with the remnants on his own," the Uchiha droned as he looked back towards Naruto, his tone apathetic.

'_You're supposed to be watching him,'_ Naruto grumbled in his mind, unsure whether Itachi didn't know or wasn't telling.

The illusionist paused underneath a wooden overhang as the ground reached the next high tower and wrung out his long slate hair. The two teenaged prodigies were both soaked to the bone. Konan meanwhile had her oil paper parasol, and Naruto had to repress the instinct to swipe the thing. Itachi parted his cloak and drained the excess rainwater.

'_The bitch could've brought along a couple extras,'_ the blond wanted to complain aloud, glaring at the Akatsuki kunoichi as the two stood in the rain, but said nothing. Konan paid no attention to him, whether she noticed his angered stare or not.

Naruto stepped under the shelter also and peered into a window as he ran a hand through his hair, but it was too dark inside to see. The demon vessel spat into the rain and tried to pull the portal open, but the thing wouldn't budge. He then slammed his ANBU bracer into the glass and shattered the window, and prepared to vault through.

"Please humor us and exercise a little common sense, _jinchuuriki."_ Konan spoke at last, her voice cold. "There could be enemies waiting in ambush in there."

"Don't call me that," Naruto snapped back, his temper boiling over. "I've got a damned name. You two are quite welcome to run up the pipes and slip, but _I'm_ taking the stairs."

He then swept through the broken window, not bothering to look back and gauge Konan's reaction, or the Uchiha's. Naruto landed inside the bare, darkened room and pulled out the Kusanagi and channeled chakra into the blade, again using its sacred white light to illuminate the building. The _jinchuuriki_ made certain to crunch the glass shards on the ground underneath his sandals as he began to explore the chamber, attempting to locate the stairs that he knew had to be around somewhere. Naruto reached towards the nearest door, and as soon as he began to open it, the room's electric lights came on.

"Tch," he hissed and whirled about with sword in hand, placing his back to the wall.

There was no Rain-nin ambush, however. Itachi stood across the room with his manicured hand covering a light switch. The illusionist arched a brow in response to Naruto's hostile reaction to his presence. For his part, the blond wasn't sure whether to be irritated with the Uchiha, who had somehow managed to get across broken glass without making the slightest noise, or relieved that Konan hadn't been proven right.

"You surprised me," Naruto grunted, dismissing the matter, his ill temper somewhat appeased due to the knowledge that Itachi had come in behind him despite their kunoichi companion's spoken disapproval.

"Ah," was all the response he received as Itachi likewise began to scout the area, tucking his arm into his dripping wet cloak. He looked like a drowned rat.

The_ jinchuuriki_ happened to look back towards the broken window, and quirked his own brow when he saw what looked like countless snow white moths gravitating through the hole in the wall and into the room. The moths clustered together and seemed to combine into one larger humanoid shape, which then molded into Konan. The azure-haired woman materialized kneeling on one knee and then stood upright.

"_Fuck,'_ Naruto groused, taking a good look at her in the bright light. _'Figures she'd be hot…'_

He realized that he hadn't noticed her looks until now, as strange as that idea seemed in retrospect. Perhaps he'd been too preoccupied, though blinding rain and dark caves didn't lend well to observing such things in great detail. He thought that perhaps he was going into withdrawal, having spent so much time working around attractive older women in Konoha. For the last month, however, the closest thing to an actual woman he'd seen was Itachi. Regardless, the blond was most aggravated about having been caught staring.

"That must be a convenient technique," he said, attempting to be conversational.

Naruto received a level stare that made quite clear that she hadn't bought into his nonchalant act.

"Less inane chit-chat and more progress," the Akatsuki kunoichi sniped, striding past Naruto. "Locate the stairs."

The _jinchuuriki_ grinned, but then turned serious when a loud crash echoed across the room. Itachi looked back, standing over a wooden door that was split right down the middle where the he'd kicked it in. Naruto's position allowed him to see concrete steps located across the ruined doorsill.

"I've located the stairs, ma'am," the teenager reported to Konan's retreating back, his right arm snapping into a crisp ANBU salute.

Naruto knew that his snide remark would elicit no response, and the blond crossed the room towards the stairs without waiting to hear one. The Uchiha sent him a warning look, perhaps intended to tell him to stop antagonizing their companion, but the demon carrier ignored him. Itachi assumed point and started up the staircase as Naruto and Konan neared.

Naruto waited, deciding to be a 'gentleman' and allow Konan to go next, but the Akatsuki kunoichi made no move. The implication was obvious, that the woman didn't trust him with her back in a narrow place. The blond snorted in derision, amused with the idea that she was concerned about him making some attempt to backstab her, as though he'd want or need to resort to such weak deceptive tactics.

"Heh," the blond chuckled and shook his head as he started up the stairs, quickening his pace to catch up with Itachi.

The booming thunder outside seemed to be even louder within the stairwell, as was the nonstop rain hammering against the steel building's walls. The loud, echoing clamor masked the Missing-nin group during their climb up the towering structure.

"I still can't believe those rebels have routed our men," a voice sounded somewhere above the three Akatsuki operatives.

Naruto grinned and prepared to rush up the remaining stairs and kill the Rain-nin, but much to his chagrin, Itachi seemed to have other ideas. The Uchiha genius motioned his impulsive companion to stop, and remained where he was to eavesdrop. The blond lurked in the shadows, making sure that the guards couldn't see or sense him, but his advanced hearing allowed him to listen in on them alongside Itachi. The Uchiha genius deactivated his Sharingan to avoid being noticed.

"From the reports _I've_ heard," another growling Ame-nin continued, "those evil bastards hired that Missing-nin group, 'Akatsuki' or something, that tore up Konoha a couple months back, and brought in a damned _jinchuuriki_ also."

Itachi glanced over at Naruto within the darkness, and then to Konan, who was standing right behind the demon container. The Rain shinobi were standing inside a concrete maintenance shed that sat atop the stairs, looking out an open window into the aquatic metropolis below. The blond could see them through an open door.

"That's right, the Uzumaki kid, though that monster came in with the Akatsuki, so it looks like he's abandoned his home village," a third Rain shinobi who seemed to be older replied, his voice somber and serious. "More than that, someone also reported seeing the kid who wiped out the Uchiha Clan with them."

Naruto's lips curled in response to his name spoken. He again took a certain arrogant pleasure in knowing that he was known in other shinobi countries, even a xenophobic nation such as the Rain. He crossed his arms and leaned against the concrete wall.

"Uchiha Itachi, the blood traitor," the second man supplied, spitting on the ground as a lightning bolt arced in the air. "The rebels might as well have called in Orochimaru, or hired out Konoha wholesale. Curse them to Hell, bringing those outsiders into our great nation! Fuck, the Hell with Konoha too while we're at it!"

'_Listen to that idiot,'_ Naruto thought with utter contempt and wanted to speak, but didn't in order to maintain cover. _'Raving like a loon, and he calls himself a ninja.'_

"Remain calm," the older man ordered his raving comrade. "Hanzou-sama will cut these pigs down as he has all the others."

Itachi then decided that he'd scouted enough and began to enact his stratagem. The illusionist began to ascend the remaining stairs and bided his time until a Rain-nin turned in his general direction. He then reactivated his Sharingan and trapped the man in a _genjutsu_, or so Naruto assumed_._ The guard blinked then tapped his still cursing and raving teammate on the arm to get his attention. The second shinobi turned and was likewise caught in an illusion. The two enraptured Rain-nin moved to the window as the renegade Uchiha climbed the stairs and stood behind the third, his movements noiseless.

"Excuse me," Itachi said to the leader as he reached the top.

"Eh," the shinobi captain muttered, and then turned into the spinning Sharingan.

The older man grabbed his head and pivoted back towards the window. The Rain-nin looked to be in some other world, and Naruto headed upstairs and came to a stop behind Itachi. The other shinobi didn't seem to even notice him.

"Let's go," he said, and the three leapt out into the rain through the open window and headed out deeper into the engagement zone.

"I think I missed something," the _jinchuuriki _spoke as he reached back to scratch behind his head, puzzled that the Uchiha had chosen to let them go.

"Those three were a reconnaissance cell," Itachi explained, and then pointed with a painted nail towards a low concrete bridge in the distance as he continued. "I've used _genjutsu_ to trick them into 'spotting' us making our approach along that bridge."

"And now those goons are making their report to the others," Naruto concluded, though he didn't quite understand the need to use such a deception, since their plan didn't involve storming the survivors' position outright.

"Then," Konan's voice spoke as she appeared within the penthouse, "perhaps we should help to corroborate their tale."

The blue-haired kunoichi raised her arm and countless paper sheets shot outward through her robe sleeve. Naruto pressed his back to the wall and covered to avoid being sliced to ribbons. The paper sheets gusted around the room and swirled together, combining into a Konan clone. The _jinchuuriki _meanwhile hissed through his teeth and glared down at his hand, where the chakra-enhanced paper had cut into his skin.

Itachi glanced at Konan's replication and nodded, as though heeding some unspoken instruction, and created a shadow clone. The two Akatsuki members then both looked to Naruto. The blond knew what he was expected to do, and also the reason behind doing so.

"You'll want to give me some room," he explained. "This technique can be a little…"

'_Disgusting,'_ he completed his statement in his head.

Naruto ran through some hand seals as the others stepped back. He sank to his knees as his stomach swelled, and the blond then opened his mouth wide and vomited out several hissing serpents onto the ground, creating a large, writhing, living pile. The snakes then melded together and became a Naruto clone. The real Naruto meanwhile gagged and spat into the rain in an attempt to dispel the vile taste that lingered in his mouth and throat.

"I hate doing that," the demon container griped under his breath, wiping the dribble on his lips but knowing that a regular Kage Bunshin wouldn't have been enough in the required situation, even though Itachi had made one.

The three clones were then mobilized at Itachi's direction to approach the holdouts' positions along the route that he'd tricked the scouts into reporting. The replications moved through the window into the rain and raced down the building onto the bridge.

'_A trick to mask a trick,' _the blond shrugged, not liking to use so much misdirection, _'it might work, I guess.'_

Their turn to leave came next. Naruto was reluctant to step back into the deluge, but he had little choice in the matter. His gaze swept across the small shed one last time, and he noticed several oil paper umbrellas similar to Konan's stocked against the wall in a dark corner. Never one to turn down something at the ultimate discount, the blond _jinchuuriki_ marched over and snatched two.

'_Five finger discount,'_ he smirked and tossed one back to Itachi, who considered the item.

Naruto then walked over to the open window and stuck his umbrella out, and prepared to push it open.

"I would suggest not opening that, Naruto-kun," Itachi commented, placing his own back into the corner whence it had come.

"That isn't a normal umbrella," Konan then explained, her voice neutral. "It's a device loaded with _senbon._ Here," the woman continued and sent more paper out, which molded into a second parasol similar to her own. The kunoichi caught it in midair and tossed to Naruto. "You can use this instead. Now, let's continue on. Time is running short."

Naruto nodded, having been bribed into compliance, and then leapt through the window into the rainstorm. He landed on the building top while opening his umbrella. The blond held his precious parasol out to allow Itachi to step underneath when he emerged. The illusionist said nothing, but accepted the invitation. Konan took up the rear, as was her prerogative.

"I propose moving onto a taller building to observe," the Uchiha then murmured, pointing towards the several much higher structures in the area. "The pieces should be in place soon."

No-one argued, and the trio spied out a better vantage point and tried to remain inconspicuous while moving about. Naruto tried, at least, while the other two had no problems with it. The three Akatsuki operatives scaled the selected building, but upon reaching the top, discovered that a Hidden Rain assault unit had occupied the same position.

Rather than raising the alarm upon coming into contact with the Missing-nin group, the hostile shinobi began to raise their hands in surrender. Naruto prepared to attack nonetheless, unwilling to spare them, but a Rain-nin reached up and ripped his breathing mask loose, revealing whisker marks and a sharp-toothed grin underneath.

'_Fucking lazy clones,'_ the demon vessel cursed while lowering his sword, '_loafing around here instead of doing their jobs.'_

"Yo," the Naruto clone mocked. "You're all late. The show's getting started," he said, pointing with his thumb towards the bridge.

The _jutsu_ exchanges then began, with the holdouts entrenched in and around the residential towers launching the attack upon the three red herrings on the low ground. Naruto's serpent clone summoned a large snake to protect the trio and then began to return the incoming attacks in kind. Meanwhile, neither Itachi's Kage Bunshin nor Konan's paper clone participated, instead hanging back and watching.

'_And speaking of watching,_' the blond groused.

"Move it," the real Naruto grunted and spurred the disguised clones into action, shaking his umbrella, "spread out and get to work."

The one Naruto clone replaced his breathing mask and the group took their leave, the Itachi clones with calm purpose while the Naruto clones hissed and complained about the master being a slave driver. The blond placed the Kusanagi in its socket and raked his hand through his spiked hair, wondering whether he was that intolerable to other people.

"This had better succeed," Konan muttered. The sound was almost too quiet to hear in the never-ending rain.

"Yeah," the demon carrier concurred, observing the Ame contingent's impregnable position and relieved that he wouldn't have to die attempting to conquer it, owing to his 'genius' scheme. "It will, trust me."

The azure-haired kunoichi said nothing, but nodded.

Naruto's distraction clone took several unavoidable hits in the exchanges with the Rain holdouts, but the thing was designed to be tough and durable, and managed to remain intact. The disguised clones meanwhile engaged alongside the real Ame shinobi and maneuvered themselves to integrate into each individual unit, splitting up and changing positions.

The plan proceeded without a hitch. The holdouts were too preoccupied with the battle at hand to notice that the dozen or so shadow clones, garbed in genuine Hidden Rain shinobi apparel, were not their allies. For some reason, Konan had made a stink about looting corpses back in the industrial district. Naruto didn't know the reason, nor did he much give an Akimichi's asshole. No regular _Henge _would have ever passed muster.

"The clones have gained complete access," Itachi spoke in his haunting monotone, marking their movements with his Sharingan. "Preparations are now complete," he reported, seeming impassive about the whole issue, though Naruto knew better.

"Finish it," Konan ordered, looking on with cold determination.

Naruto opened, commanding his snake clone on the bridge to detonate. The explosion ripped through the Rain-nin who had engaged on the ground, blasting the concrete bridge into little chunks that sank into the lake and vanished into the churning depths. The blond had to quash down some guilt over his summoned snake, which had been caught in the massive detonation.

The remaining Hanzou partisans, who were positioned atop the buildings and had been raining attacks down upon the clones below, stopped short in response to the explosion. Naruto glanced towards Itachi, who looked back and nodded, and then made a single hand seal. The blond did the same and the concealed shadow clones initiated a chain reaction, detonating within the other small assault units.

Itachi's blasts were smaller and more controlled, Naruto's enormous and wild. Both, however, accomplished their collective purpose. The enormous buildings, built with special steel that had been bolstered with chakra, somehow managed to avoid being mutilated too much.

The shinobi standing atop them, however, didn't share in their good luck. The exploding Kage Bunshin, detonated at point-blank range, obliterated the Rain-nin down to the last man. There was no heroic last stand. The battle was concluded in a second, and the losers had never suspected a thing.

The chained explosions resulted in an unstoppable shockwave that pushed the cloaked Akatsuki shinobi several steps backward, even though all three had been prepared and had attempted to brace against the backlash. Naruto's paper umbrella was shredded to ribbons and the rain began to pour down onto the demon container's head again. He was more aggravated over getting wet again than he was over the men and women that he'd helped to massacre seconds earlier. The _jinchuuriki_ never even questioned the matter.

"That was much easier than expected," Itachi said, likewise callous. Naruto knew that the illusionist took no particular pleasure in killing and did his best to avoid doing so without need, but that he also had no qualms committing murder when the situation required it.

The storm became even more intense, as though protesting the slaughter. The hard, acidic rainwater stung Naruto through his Akatsuki cloak. Thunder boomed in the air. Konan's parasol had also gotten shredded up in the backlash, and she was now getting soaked right alongside him and Itachi. The blond demon vessel wondered whether her paper manipulation techniques would work in the rain.

"Brilliant," Naruto sneered. "Like I said, again," he reminded and then cocked his head towards the large smoldering compound located deep in the lake, where the real battle raged onward. "Looks like Sir Leader's still going at it with Hanzou. I'm heading over to have a better look," the demon container declared, not caring to get clearance.

"That's not possible," Konan replied in a neutral tone, though Naruto was aware that the kunoichi didn't want him to approach Pain. "Hanzou's entire administrative complex is marked with chakra negation seals to keep intruders out. You can't scale the walls."

Naruto digested this knowledge, and he could see that the structure was ruptured to the point that going inside the tower and climbing up to the battle zone would likewise be impossible. There seemed to be but one route, and it wasn't one that he wanted to take. He could get there through the skies, but that involved revealing his _juin_ evolution, which not even Itachi knew about to his knowledge. However, in the end, it represented little more than raw power, and that alone wouldn't propel him over the Akatsuki when the moment came. There seemed to be little point in holding a trump card that couldn't trump.

The battle area then became covered in smoke. The rain cleared it in record time, and revealed a monstrous summoned lizard in its wake. Naruto knew the legends about Hanzou the Salamander and the massive creature that was the dictator's namesake. He made his decision then, and shrugged his cloak loose and stripped is undershirt. He sensed Itachi's impassive stare upon his back as he tied his cloak sleeves around his waist and headed towards the tower's edge.

'_Alright,'_ Naruto exhaled a breath. _'Here goes.'_

The blond then pumped chakra through his cursed seal, concentrating upon his back. Naruto hissed and tried not to scream in torment when the white avian wings burst outward right underneath and between his shoulder blades, ripping through skin and muscle alike. The snow white appendages were matted and streaked with his blood, which also coursed down his back in two identical rivers. His skin remained unchanged, unlike the last time he had pushed his seal into its most evolved state, a testament to his increased control over its power.

"Fuck, that huuurts," he couldn't help bitching, almost dropping to his knees. The rain helped to clean his back, but did nothing to soothe the blinding pain.

The _jinchuuriki_ hopped into the air and levitated there, and then looked back down at Itachi and Konan. The two S-Class shinobi did well at hiding their surprise, but Naruto knew that both were re-evaluating him in their minds. For some reason, his being able to make them rethink their previous opinions pleased him.

"That," Itachi enunciated and arched a curious brow, "was not indicated in our intelligence."

"Heh," the white-winged Naruto shrugged with a grin, cracking his neck. "A girl's got to hold onto _some _secrets. Now, grab on."

He held his right arm out, inviting the older teenager to take hold. Itachi weighed the matter a moment, and then nodded and wrapped both arms around Naruto's bicep. His hands were as cold as ice.

"You're welcome to hitch a ride too," the _jinchuuriki _turned back to Konan with a lopsided grin, though he wasn't sure what had prompted him to do so. "Might as well make sure the Leader doesn't have a problem."

In truth, Naruto didn't care in the least about what could happen to Pain. 'God' being killed in combat would suit his own purposes quite well, not that he would assist in making it happen. Perhaps he would stumble upon an opening to win points with the Leader, at least.

"He doesn't need our help," Konan retorted, though she still grabbed onto the wrist that he held out.

Perhaps she didn't trust Naruto and Itachi to observe without her 'supervision,' though riding with the blond meant trusting _him_ not to drop her to her death, so he didn't quite know what the woman's motivations were. Perhaps she was concerned about the Leader. Hanzou and his behemoth summon as individuals were nothing to be underestimated, so much more so together.

'_It'd be so easy to kill them both,'_ he thought as he got a decent start and made his leap into the skies. _'All I'd have to do is let go.'_

Naruto knew that he wouldn't, but the idea to renege on his bargain with Itachi and then recede into the shadows somewhere was nonetheless tempting. He struggled against his passengers' combined weight and almost started into a nosedive into the lake, but instead pulled more chakra through his _juin_ to regain his balance. The winged blond then began to rise in altitude and soared through the air towards the battle. Naruto couldn't help but remember another epic shinobi duel he'd interrupted in this manner. This time, however, he wouldn't be saving the old man.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Three Pain incarnations leapt to the side to avoid the enormous scalding water blast. Hanzou's summon prepared to unleash a second, but stopped short when a summoned ox plowed into its side, driving the great amphibian backwards. The salamander speared the horned creature through the spine with its tail, slaughtering the bovine summon, but then had to leap aside as a huge summoned mantis attempted to slash its head with a sickle.

Hanzou meanwhile sidestepped as Gakidou descended upon him. The Fat Pain's attack pulverized the concrete beneath the old dictator and caused the bridge to tremor. Tendou made no move, but the Hell and Human Realms rushed at Hanzou's back. Hanzou pivoted and spewed a lightning bolt towards the two incoming Pains, knowing that the protector Gakidou wasn't in position to absorb the _jutsu._ The lightning streaked past them, rushing straight towards Tendou.

"Futile," the Deva Realm commented, not even bothering to twitch a muscle. Another invisible shockwave rippled in the air as the bolt closed in, shearing the attack apart.

Hanzou glared and sucked in a breath through his teeth. Ningendou closed in and drove a hard punch into the aged man's stomach. The Human Realm pressed his advantage with a roundhouse kick that staggered the Rain's leader back, and the thickset Jigokudou rushed into Hanzou with a double sledge, driving him over the bridge's edge and into the lake.

The biomechanical Shuradou exposed the rockets lining its other arm and launched them into the air. The three Pains leapt backwards in complete unison as the salamander's massive tail came crashing down upon their position and ripped clean through the concrete and steel bridge. The summoned amphibian had no chance to attack again, as the Beast Realm once again attacked with his own summoning, this time calling upon an eagle to swoop down and claw at the great salamander's vision.

The missiles circled in the rain and streaked down towards the area where Hanzou was plummeting into the water, overtaking his descent. The lake water swirled and shot high into the air to surround Hanzou in a protective shell. Pain's rockets impacted the thick liquid wall and exploded, unable to penetrate through. The water within then rose as well, making the hollow wall into a dense, rising pillar, which Hanzou then rode upon to again reach Pain's position.

The veteran shinobi ran through several hand seals as he soared towards the Pain Rikudou and crouched, slamming his palm into the moving aquatic column, causing a high-powered electric charge to crackle through the water beneath him. Hanzou leapt back onto the bridge, on the now divided side opposite the Pain incarnations. The charged pillar twisted like a snake in the air and rushed towards the Rin'negan bodies.

The six Pains had nowhere to go as the attack plowed into the administrative tower behind the rebel commander's six incarnations, and the sextet dropped over the edge. The electric torrent blasted apart the central spire's ruined remains, sending the wreckage crashing into the lake in enormous chunks.

Hanzou glared at the descending Pains and went into a rapid speed, extended seal sequence, clasping his hands together to end the _jutsu._ The lake parted and swirled into a massive whirlpool, placed to swallow the Akatsuki's Leader whole and end him within its crushing depths. However, a summoned whale leapt out through the swirling water and intercepted the plummeting Pain Rikudou, catching them upon its back. The old leader cursed under his breath, slumping over with exhaustion and irritated that the Rin'negan wielding group had eluded him again.

Hanzou's salamander shot a boiling water ball at the airborne whale. The aquatic mammal shot pressurized air through its blowhole, propelling the six Pains higher, back into the battle zone. The Pain Rikudou landed upon a concrete bridge connecting two peripheral towers, though as the battle progressed, there were less and less places to stand.

"Your parlor tricks will run out at some point, criminal," the impatient Hanzou grated down at Pain, crossing his arms.

"Your strength will ebb much sooner," the Beast Realm countered, his voice clinical as his Rin'negan observed the aged warlord's labored breathing.

Hanzou didn't respond or attack, however, and instead seemed to be watching something lingering in the air above the six Pain bodies. Tendou glanced up, while the remaining realms kept their collective attention concentrated onto the old warrior and his summoned pet. Konan and Itachi stood atop the tower looking down at the battle, the Uchiha taking in each miniscule detail with his ever swirling Sharingan. Uzumaki Naruto glided in the rain upon angelic wings, twirling his sword in his right hand. For a moment, Tendou's lips tightened a little upon seeing the latter.

"Yo," the _jinchuuriki _said with an arrogant wave, as though the child believed that he possessed all the right in the world to intrude upon the battle. "Don't mind me, uh, sir."

The cold stare that Tendou sent in his direction indicated that the Akatsuki Leader minded quite a bit. The Rin'negan stare then swept over to Konan, who bit down on her lip and shrugged her shoulders. Naruto and to a much lesser extent, or so it seemed, Itachi, looked curious about the six bodies, but both knew that now was not the time to comment.

"Look at what we have here," Hanzou spat, prompting Naruto to glance down at the Hidden Rain's deposed leader, "Konoha's_ jinchuuriki_ and the blood traitor Uchiha Itachi. You have spared no expense, rebel," the old warrior continued, looking back at Tendou. "This comes as no surprise. I suppose that scum begets scum."

The Uchiha gave no reaction to Hanzou's scathing comment, but Naruto did. The blond pointed with his sword towards the veteran and glided up closer to the Itachi and Konan. The _jinchuuriki_ cupped his hand to his ear and pretended to listen to something, and then looked up towards Itachi with a laugh.

"Take a listen, Itachi-san," Naruto whispered, his grin turning savage. "I thought I heard a corpse dropping."

The illusionist's thin lips moved into a slight grin. Hanzou used the opening to launch a shuriken barrage at the airborne Naruto, as well as the two shinobi standing behind his position. Hanzou made a single hand seal and the dozen shuriken changed into several hundred. Naruto hissed and dove underneath the barrage, extending the Kusanagi outward and streaking like a missile towards the dictator. The battle was on again.

Konan used _Shunshin_ to move to a higher place on the tower. Itachi meanwhile stood in place without a care and threw his own shuriken, replicating Hanzou's _Shuriken Kage Bunshin_ technique via his Sharingan to match his number. The steel missiles collided in midair and scattered in various directions through the rain and into the lake.

Pain's android incarnation, Shuradou, leveled both arms at the old man and let loose, hurling twin rocket punches at Hanzou. Naruto cursed aloud and altered his path, having no desire to get hit, and Pain didn't seem to care about shooting through him at that moment in time. The blond moved parallel to the bridge, glaring at the Leader, who ignored him.

"Konan," Tendou beckoned, and the azure-haired kunoichi was at her partner's side in an instant.

Hanzou sidestepped the initial punch with a neat motion and leapt over the second. Both knocked into the structure behind him, creating large dents in the steel. The dictator was struck with an incoming Grand Fireball in midair, as Itachi had predicted his leap and made an immediate response. The Uchiha was still standing in his original position on the spire, now holding a hand to his mouth.

The smoke cleared, and a burning log dropped onto the bridge in its wake, exploding into hot ash on contact. The standing rainwater on the concrete near where Hanzou had been located prior to the attack began to coalesce. Naruto was in an ideal position to strike, and he started to seal a lightning _jutsu _to electrocute the now aquatic shinobi.

He never had the chance to launch his attack. A massive boiling water ball slammed into his blindside. Naruto shrieked as the scalding hot liquid caused second-degree burns upon his exposed arms and torso, and he went into a tailspin, careening down towards the lake. Itachi glanced down in what almost passed as concern, but the blond righted his momentum and regained his balance, even as his advanced _jinchuuriki_ healing began to regenerate his burnt skin and muscular tissue.

"Fucking overgrown tadpole," the _jinchuuriki_ shouted, abandoning the battle against Hanzou and instead streaking towards his summoned partner.

"That kid," the Human Realm muttered, his Rin'negan glancing towards the berserk Naruto. "He can be a nuisance."

Hanzou completed his materialization opposite the Pain Rikudou and Konan, but he had precious little time to react to the summoned Cerberus that bore down on him. The old man leapt aside at the last instant, and the multi-headed dog crashed into the tower behind him. The beast decomposed into several smaller canines that turned about and rushed at Hanzou, snarling and snapping. He made a hand sign and the standing water morphed into sharp aquatic spikes that shot upwards and impaled the dogs.

The old dictator then whirled back towards his human opponents and managed to raise his arms to block Gakidou's double palm thrust. The blow sent the Hanzou backwards into the metal building, where his brittle spine impacted against the chakra steel with a low thud. He slid down to the concrete, slow to rise.

"You have grown old, Hanzou," Tendou spoke, with neither scorn nor derision present in his tone. "Your partisans have been routed and the capital is in now our possession. This is the end."

Hanzou let out a pained groan and stood. He reached up with both hands and pulled on his breathing mask. There was an audible hissing sound as the chakra holding the mask in place against his skin dispersed. Blood leaked through the old shinobi's mouth and down his chin. Despite the deep scars and wrinkles, and the thinning iron-colored hair, the old man looked as stern and resolute as he ever was.

However, that mental strength was tempered with resignation. Pain hadn't needed to remind his nemesis. Hanzou knew quite well that this was to be his last battle, and he knew that he was outnumbered and up against Kage-level opponents, and a _jinchuuriki._ He knew that his stamina and chakra were running out. His skill excelled the world, but no mortal man could overcome old age.

"Fool," Hanzou the Salamander wheezed. His voice was much less overpowering without his respirator, but still brimmed with strength and conviction. "I built this nation. I've protected these lands through three great wars. No-one else can shoulder the burden. This nation cannot survive without me." The great leader hacked and spat up blood. "This might well be the end, criminal, but I will not disgrace all the men who have lost their lives on this dire morning. There is no Rain without Hanzou."

Pain said nothing, but raised his open hand to the skies. The rain slowed and then stopped altogether. Hanzou recognized the implied insult at once, but didn't react to it. Konan's paper shot outward and recombined to restore her white wings, and she levitated in the air next to her longtime companion.

Hanzou reached into his combat garb and withdrew a small container, and then poured several pills into his hand. He ingested the medicine and coughed. His weathered skin took on a reddish hue as the specialized soldier pills sent his chakra production into overdrive.

"You will now see the power that united this weeping land," the old warrior declared, as his inner power exploded.

The entire lake seemed to shoot up around the tower. Countless liquid columns materialized and rose into the air, held in place due to Hanzou's power. The six Pains and Konan looked on, unimpressed with the act. The dragon heads appeared next. Gakidou moved into position to protect the others against the barrage that was soon to come, and Konan took to the air.

Meanwhile, Shuradou's spiked cranium split apart in six wedges and opened outward to revealing a strange contraption underneath. The biomechanical Pain incarnation then hunched over and took aim at the Hidden Rain's leader. Hanzou's innumerable _Suiryuudan _attacked and Pain's chakra cannon began charging. Konan let loose with a paper missile barrage. The deciding hand was now on the table.

The towering salamander swiped at the airborne Naruto with its arm. The _jinchuuriki _rolled to the side and rose over the attack, but then had to pull back and swerve to evade a heated water blast. The steaming, scalding liquid passed close to his burnt, sensitive skin. Naruto hissed as the intense heat made the burn wounds, which hadn't quite healed, sting anew. The distraction almost cost him, as the amphibian's massive tail almost crushed him. Naruto weaved underneath at the last instant.

"You're too damned _big,"_ the blond cursed at the monster.

The demon container pointed an open palm at Hanzou's summon. The skin on his arm morphed into green scales, and his hand changed into a massive serpent's mouth. The hissing appendage opened its maw and spewed a _Karyuu Endan_ at the salamander as it moved back around. The dragon slammed into the creature's side, charring the skin.

The technique seemed to do little more than irritate the beast, however, and it then returned another, much larger water bomb. This one caught Naruto sleeping and grazed his legs, causing him to cringe in pain as his scaled arm returned to its normal state. The monster's open mouth was then descending towards him again, boiling water rising inside its throat.

Naruto sensed the heat and smelled the smoke, and looked into the air as he dodged. Red hot, blazing missiles soared downward over his head like countless meteorites. The beast raged and thrashed as Uchiha Itachi's _Housenka_ struck its vulnerable head over and over. The blazing shuriken struck home, as several imbedded into the behemoth's vision, rendering it blind. The summon stood on its hinds legs and raised its arms to its head, ripping and clawing at the burning metal weapons, but doing nothing except driving them in deeper.

"Nice shot," the blond cheered, shooting the illusionist an enthusiastic thumbs up as he stood atop his building.

Itachi nodded back to him, but Naruto was gone. The _jinchuuriki_ used the salamander's preoccupation to his advantage, and used the Kusanagi to slash a deep wound down its massive stomach. The great amphibian howled again, but the wound amounted to little more than an exaggerated paper cut given its relative size. The blond spat into the still moist air, and then reared back and plunged his sword deep into the existing wound. He pushed inside the monster's stomach, disappearing into it.

Itachi, who had continued to watch, arched a brow at the other teenager's bizarre tactics. However, he didn't need more than a second to reason Naruto's plan, and his lips then moved into a grin. The enormous chakra dispersion that seemed to take place inside the monster's bowels validated his conclusion.

Naruto plunged out again a minute later, picking up speed as he rushed to escape the monster's location. The shadow clones that he'd deposited inside Hanzou's summoned partner, numbering a thousand or perhaps more, began to dentonate. Blood and gore rained down all over, as a creature as tall and wide as a large building was blasted to pieces.

The blond demon container let out an unhinged, howling laugh as he plunged down inside the lake to clean the gunk that had gotten onto him inside the salamander. Naruto had the right to celebrate. Few human beings, _jinchuuriki_ or otherwise, could boast to having bested an S-Ranked summoned beast in combat. He started laughing again when he emerged, but had regained some control over his mind. Naruto glided onto the tower next to Itachi and retracted his cursed seal wings.

"That was," Itachi paused, glancing towards his blond companion, "somewhat extreme, Naruto-kun."

"Damn right," Naruto exulted, sensing no irritation or disapproval in the older teenager's murmured comment.

The pair then turned their attention towards the Leader and Konan's battle against Hanzou, which now seemed to be reaching its conclusion. Naruto took a step and prepared to leap down into the storm, but Itachi grabbed the blond's shoulder and pulled him back. The slate-haired genius shook his head in the negative, telling the _jinchuuriki _in no uncertain terms that this wasn't their battle now. Naruto had done enough at this point and didn't mind being made a spectator. The two prodigies watched as the battle ran its course.

Konan moved about with a dancer's grace in the air, lilting about to avoid the innumerable water dragons that continued to twist about and rush at her. She launched more paper arrows down at Hanzou, her pierced lip curling into a small scowl as the missiles ricocheted into the air, doing no damage. The sheer chakra surrounding the old man during his last stand rendered most incoming attacks useless. Konan's paper was reduced to indeed little more than that, opening miniscule cuts on Hanzou's skin, but making no lasting impact.

Hanzou stood in place, concentrating his all into his _jutsu _and determined to use his last power to bring Pain down. The woman was a mere irritant, her attacks useless against him. The man, men – whatever Pain was – was making no move to attack, instead maintaining an impregnable guard through combining his collective powers. His hard heart ached despite it all when he glimpsed his summoned partner being annihilated in an earth-shattering explosion, with the mad _jinchuuriki_ laughing like a lunatic in its wake.

He sighed, knowing that he was slipping. He was too old, and could not maintain this attack much longer. Hanzou spat blood, and redirected his _Suiryuudan_ to attack Pain all at once and ignore the woman.

"Time to end this charade, criminal," he grunted, pushing his last into the charge.

Tendou's Rin'negan stare narrowed as the dragons attacking Konan all changed their paths to surround and then charge the Rikudou all at once. Gakidou grinned and he threw his arms wide to absorb three that came across the shattered bridge. A summoned hawk intercepted another, and was shredded apart. Tendou made a motion with his hand and pushed one back into another with his technique, obliterating both. The Human Realm leapt into one dragon's path, taking the damage to spare the rest. Through this indomitable teamwork, Pain continued to thwart Hanzou until…

"Time's up, Hanzou," the Deva Realm, the Leader, announced.

Shuradou's head seemed to twist about on its neck. The android then glanced up to reveal a scowling visage, and then lowered its head and blasted its chakra beam. The enormous laser shrieked towards Hanzou at light speed. There was no hope to dodge, no time to so much as even think. Pain's attack reduced the nigh invincible shinobi warlord to mere residual vapor, and likewise obliterated the entire tower behind him. The beam continued past the lake into the mountains outside the capital, where it at last detonated with a roar.

"And so it ends," the Hell Realm spoke, with the six Pains standing on a bridge that now had nothing but smoldering rubble remaining on either side.

The Beast Realm used _Shunshin_ to appear on the tower with Naruto and Itachi, the last remaining in what had once been Hanzou's imposing command center, and summoned his colleagues.

"For the longest time," Konan admitted in a low voice, dropping down onto the tower. "I had never thought that I would live to see him dead."

The Leader and Konan both looked back towards the two teenagers. Uchiha Itachi nodded in understanding at once and motioned to Naruto. The pair disappeared – the illusionist in swirling leaves and the _jinchuuriki _in a crimson _youki _burst.

"Hanzou's death signals a rebirth," Tendou replied to her in a mild voice. "God's Kingdom is come. However, this genesis still represents nothing more than a beginning point. The goal is still not accomplished."

Konan said nothing, absorbed in her own thoughts and memories. Tendou glanced about Hanzou's ruined compound, taking in the sight. Nothing remained there to show that the man had ever even existed. However, there still remained others to be cleansed.

"From this moment on, I will strive to bring the masses everlasting peace through pain," Pain declared. "This human world will evolve, Konan. That is God's Will."

The clouds parted in the skies and the impossible happened, as a brilliant noontime sun shone down upon the Rain.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Far to the south, an old man and two women strode down a well-beaten road that led to a massive wooden gate. Five ANBU stood at attention outside Konaha's village gate to meet them.

"Home at last," Sarutobi Hiruzen, the venerable, retired Third Hokage, mumbled, seeming relieved.

The old shinobi hadn't taken Naruto's leaving well. The teenager's actions had cast a noticeable pall over the entire group, including Tsunade and Shizune, who didn't even know him well. Uzuki Yuugao and Inuzuka Kiba had been sent back to the village well in advance to report. The plum-haired kunoichi was with the masked group waiting ahead.

"Doesn't seem like home to me," Tsunade commented, but with no venom in her voice.

The last month had been tiresome, but Sarutobi had convinced his old student to at least return to the village at length, though with no promises to remain there or accept the nomination to become Godaime Hokage.

"Here goes nothing," the Slug Princess grumbled as the leading ANBU motioned to another masked shinobi standing guard atop Konoha's damaged encampment wall.

Nothing had escaped damage in Akatsuki's raid on the village two months prior, an assault aimed at kidnapping two teenagers. Now both were in the criminal organization's power, one via coercion and the other through his own misguided will. The gate then rumbled open and the small group strode through, the ANBU taking up protective positions around them.

The word had spread about the Sannin Tsunade's return to her native village. People lined the streets to get a look at the returning heroine, both shinobi and villagers alike. The blonde woman didn't seem to take well to the attention, used as she was to living on her own terms and running about wherever she pleased. The Hokage's two advisers were right inside the gate.

"Sandaime-sama," Utatane Koharu spoke, "welcome back. You have done well."

Sarutobi nodded, his anxious expression indicating that he wanted a smoke.

"Tsunade-sama," Mitokado Homura continued with a grim smile, "welcome back to Konoha. You have been missed." Homura paused to allow the crowd to cheer and then made his request. "Please, along come with us. The Elder Council has assembled. There is much to be discussed."

Tsunade looked as though she'd swallowed something sour and almost turned back to punch a hole straight through the gate and abandon Konoha again. However, something in the villagers' expressions stopped her. The Slug Princess wavered, and at last relented.

"Fine," the woman muttered, crossing her arms. "Let's get this over with."

**End Chapter Two**

_**Next Chapter: **__Tsunade accepts the Third's nomination and becomes Godaime Hokage. Naruto's starring role in Ame's complete destruction becomes known abroad, and he receives a new assignment from Akatsuki. Orochimaru reappears. The Fourth Great Shinobi War begins. _


	3. Temptation

"_Tsunade-sama," Mitokado Homura continued with a grim smile, "welcome back to Konoha. You have been missed." Homura paused to allow the crowd to cheer and then made his request. "Please, along come with us. The Elder Council has assembled. There is much to be discussed."_

_Tsunade looked as though she'd swallowed something sour and almost turned back to punch a hole straight through the gate and abandon Konoha again. However, something in the villagers' expressions stopped her. The Slug Princess wavered, and at last relented._

"_Fine," the woman muttered, crossing her arms. "Let's get this over with."_

**Chapter Three: Ruses and Temptations – The True Horror**

Disclaimer: Naruto's not mine. I'm not getting paid to write this, et cetera.

* * *

The various mutterings inside Konoha's council chamber went silent when Tsunade enfftered the room, with the Third and the two advisors Homura and Koharu at her back.

"Tsunade-hime," Aburame Shibi's reserved voice broke the quiet, as the man's head inched downwards with a measured respect. The Aburame looked relieved, knowing that Tsunade would be able to heal his son's condition now that she was back in the village.

"From here on out, call me 'Godaime-sama,'" the Slug Princess replied as she strode across the chamber to assume the Hokage's place at the head position. "Now then, let's get right down to business," she continued, sitting down. "I want to hear a complete report on the border situation. I've been brought up to speed a little, but I want details."

Tsunade's clipped, businesslike tone caused several civilian council members to stir in a nervous manner. She had no interest in tolerating ceremonial niceties as her esteemed predecessor had. The clan heads and other shinobi representatives concealed grins. The Third Hokage blinked with complete surprise, taking his seat near Tsunade, as though he hadn't even been aware that she was going to accept the nomination. Danzou noticed his nemesis' expression and attempted to hide his sneer.

"To this point," the advisor Homura began, his tone somber and serious "there have been no changes with regards to the Hidden Sand. However, we expect that Iwa will begin the invasion soon, and we do not expect a decimated Suna to hold out."

"During the Hokage's most recent absence, the Sand's council has sent us a message to request assistance," Koharu continued, making no distinction as to whether 'Hokage' meant Tsunade or Sarutobi, "claiming that the alliance breach was due to Orochimaru's machinations, and was not their true intention."

"Those bloodless worms have the gall to come crawling back to us when their necks are placed on the line," Danzou observed, his scarred visage twisted with loathing. "There is no reason to commit our shinobi to a losing cause. Let the miserable traitors die."

"Yet, when the lips are removed, the teeth will grow cold," Sandaime countered, now the Hokage's highest ranking advisor.

"Sandaime-sama has a valid point," a bored-looking Nara Shikaku concurred. "I'd much rather us have a weakened Suna living next door than a militant Iwa. It'd be a huge mistake to let the Rock capture all that ground to use against us. Better to keep the Sand as a barrier between us and them."

"I see no reason to be concerned," Danzou sneered, hands gripping his cane. "Iwagakure is weak, and we will serve them as we did Suna and Oto. Konoha has never been bested in war, and our shinobi will continue to triumph over all enemies."

"That's a presumptuous boast," the new Hokage commented, her voice dripping with mocking scorn. "I seem to recall hearing about how a single Missing-nin cell almost managed to decimate this entire village and all its shinobi less than two months ago."

Tsunade's precise words caused an undercurrent to sweep through the council chamber. The Akatsuki attack and the widespread devastation it had wrought had dealt a blow to Konoha's pride and prestige. The Slug Princess had no qualms about grinding raw salt into the unhealed wound, knowing that the blatant reminder would serve to humble the pompous councilors.

"Indeed," the grizzled war hawk acknowledged in a poisonous hiss, "a most regrettable incident, an embarrassment precipitated due to our _illustrious_ Sandaime being more interested in chatting over tea with the Fire Lord than in protecting our Great Tree…"

Danzou stopped short and shuddered ever so little in his seat as a subtle killing intent permeated the air, aimed straight at him. Sarutobi stared hard at his nemesis, warning in no uncertain terms that the scarred man was coming close to crossing a line – one that Hizuren was all too willing to meet him at, now that the retired leader no longer had his mantle and sworn oaths as Hokage to restrain him. Danzou regained his composure and met Sandaime's glare in equal measure, stubborn pride overbearing common sense, as all present – even the civilian representatives – knew that a shinobi duel between the two irreconcilable, bitter archrivals would result in a one-sided massacre.

"That's enough," Tsunade said, her strong voice ending the tense altercation in the chamber as she turned to Homura and Koharu. "You can continue with the report."

Danzou spared the new Hokage an appraising glance, knowing that the blonde woman's intervention had saved his skin, though the one-armed veteran would never acknowledge his debt.

"Yes, Godaime-sama," Homura stated, relieved that his old teammate had not been provoked into murdering his longtime nemesis, "in addition to the Iwa/Suna situation, Kumo has begun to move their shinobi southward into Rice Field, where some unknown power has stalled their advance." Homura stopped to take a breath, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Despite this, however, we must assume that the Cloud will prevail, and we know that their ultimate destination is Konoha."

"I'd thought that Orochimaru's Hidden Sound was located in Rice Field," Sarutobi mused, no longer concerned with Danzou, "though I can't imagine that _he_ would care to impede Kumo's campaign."

"The Sound has vanished without a trace," Koharu said in a low voice, "or so it seems, at least. The reconnaissance teams we sent into the area reported observing no signs that hostile shinobi were based there." Sarutobi's other teammate likewise paused, picking her words with care. "The locals have instead been whispering tales about monsters lurking in the wilderness."

"I'm sure that snake bastard didn't quit with his twisted experiments when he got caught red-handed here." Inuzuka Tsume ground out, gnashing her sharp teeth. "His guinea pigs must've gotten loose somehow, seeing as he seems to have abandoned them and hightailed it outta there."

"That's one possible explanation, or he might have set them loose on purpose," Shikaku, ever the able strategist, suggested, scratching at his goatee. "I wouldn't doubt that Orochimaru might predict that Konoha would launch a counter invasion against Oto and leave us a little present, but his trap sprung on the wrong victims."

The chamber became a literal din as the various councilors suggested theories. The single overall general consensus was that Orochimaru was alive somewhere, biding his time until he could menace Konoha once again, even though his upstart Hidden Village seemed to have been decimated. Tsunade rubbed her brow and glared towards Sarutobi, as though blaming the chaos on him somehow. The old man shrugged, having no real response, and at last the irritated Godaime raised her arm and drove a hard punch into the ground, causing the entire chamber to quake and sending dust rising into the stale air.

Though Tsunade's method violated all debate procedures known to human civilization, it had an immediate impact on the council, halting all conversation in an instant. The elders looked in shock towards the Hokage, noting the vein pulsing on her temple. The clan heads looked about the chamber at their shocked civilian counterparts with more than a little amusement, though the degrees varied. The Inuzuka pack leader almost burst in into mocking laughter at their expense. Meanwhile the dust settled and revealed a small impact crater where Tsunade had struck the ground. The Slug Princess looked around the room, demanding order, and not a soul dared to challenge her on the point.

"No matter what the cause might be," Danzou sniped, staring around the silent room at his silenced colleagues. "Kumo's threat represents more than reason enough not to extend help to Suna."

"I must agree with Elder Danzou," Hiashi spoke in his cultured voice, to no-one's surprise, given his clan's storied vendetta against the Cloud. "Let us all consider that Kumogakure commands not one, but _two_ demon containers." Hiashi stopped to allow the reminder to sink in. Tailed demons and _jinchuuriki_ were a sore topic, given Konoha's harrowing experience with the Nine-tails. "To allow such horrid weapons to approach our homeland would be an unmitigated disaster."

To their collective credit, the elders didn't break into rambling conversation this time, but instead looked towards the Hokage.

"I also agree," Tsunade declared. "The Sand has dug its own grave and will now have to lie in it. Now, with that, I would like to declare this meeting…"

"There is one other matter to discuss, Godaime-sama." Danzou then dared to interrupt her as she started to rise, his lips curling into a malicious smile.

The blonde Hokage stared at the scarred elder and then towards Sandaime, who was regarding his nemesis with a narrowed glare, suspicion evident in his expression. The kunoichi let out a bothered sign and sat back down, wishing that she could tell Danzou to kiss her ass and leave the room, despising the council and detesting having to deal with her own unwanted advisors.

"Let's hear it, then, Danzou," Tsunade countered, lacing her hands together, her voice like ice.

"Sarutobi-sama's escort squad returned a man short, with no explanation given," the war hawk stated without preamble, uttering Sandaime's title as though it were some vile curse. "I should think, given the previous discussion concerning the Hidden Cloud's two _jinchuuriki _and the tangible threat that such tools pose, that this council might want to know what has happened to Konoha's." Danzou then leaned over his cane, leering at Hiruzen. "I would like to ask that Uzumaki Naruto's most recent mission leader explain his apparent," he paused again, enunciating the last word, _"disappearance."_

The retired Hokage bristled ever so little in response to the scathing insinuation in his rival's voice despite the truth in it. Mutters began to break out around the chamber, 'monster' and 'traitor' discernable among them along, with various claims to have 'known all along.' Some appeared to be surprised at the news, others smug and still more concerned. Homura and Koharu were among the latter group, as were the clan heads. Naruto's inclusion in Sarutobi's retrieval team had not been made general knowledge, not even to the council.

"Ah, I might have allowed him to take a little vacation," Sandaime retorted, his tone nonchalant, as he knew that it would antagonize Danzou. "No-one can argue that the poor lad hasn't earned a little personal leave, given his recent meritorious services during the invasion."

Danzou was not amused, nor did Sarutobi's blatant and dismissive lie take him in.

"This is not a laughing matter," the crippled man snapped, reacting as predicted. "That overindulged whelp is vital to Konoha's war machine, as our most potent weapon. He must be returned to the village at once and his unauthorized absence punished."

"That won't be happening," Tsunade said in a curt voice. "His present assignment necessitates deep cover and is crucial to this village's interests. He won't be recalled to Konoha until I've made the decision that it's needed."

"Forgive this man's impertinence, Godaime-sama," Akimichi Chouza then spoke in a serious rumble, the large man looking between Tsunade and Sarutobi, "but I am having a hard time believing that our Hokage would choose to waste an asset such as _him_ on a long-term non-combat assignment with two potential wars looming. Perhaps it would be more accurate, as Elder Danzou has stipulated, to conclude that he has gone missing."

This was nothing less than a diplomatic accusation that the new Hokage was concealing Naruto's status. The blonde Sannin stared the Akimichi patriarch down, intent upon making her dominance known. She was Hokage now, and the council's incessant meddling in the village leader's business was no longer going to be tolerated. Uzumaki Naruto, Missing-nin or otherwise, was Tsunade's concern and no-one else's, both as a Konoha-nin and as an agent in the Hokage's personal guard, until _she _dictated otherwise.

"Perhaps, and _perhaps_ it would be a whole lot smarter," Tsunade parroted right back, knowing that Chouza was right on the mark but unwilling to admit as much, _"not_ to insinuate that I'm a liar. I know where the brat is and what he's doing, and that's all that's important. I won't hear the issue again."

The Slug Princess had nothing save her sensei's vague theories on the latter point, and precious little more on Naruto's actual whereabouts.

"Meanwhile," Sandaime continued, "Konoha has precious little resources to spare right now, given the mounting situation on our borders. That is," Hiruzen added, looking at Danzou, "unless some hidden, special shinobi corps exists that could handle this matter." The Third watched with amusement as his nemesis seemed to put his utmost into maintaining his strict composure, battling his anger at being taunted about his outlawed _Ne_. "The village cannot spare an elite hunter squad to chase down a teenager."

"Don't utter such nonsense," the scarred elder growled, pocketing his pride so as not to hint at his secret, that Konoha's roots still ran as deep as ever. "I do not contest the Hokage's decision. Time will reveal the truth," Danzou stated without the least doubt. "Discretion is not Uzumaki Naruto's strongest suite. The brat cannot help but reveal his hand to us."

"I said that's enough," Godaime hissed, starting to lose her temper. "Now then, since the illustrious Konoha council seems to be content to waste precious time bickering over a kid, I'm outta here. Unlike _some _people, I have actual business to attend to, such as inspecting the village." Tsunade then turned back towards her apprentice, who hadn't made a sound during the entire meeting, as she rose and started to leave. "Let's go, Shizune."

Shizune paled and nodded, trailing behind her enraged master. Meanwhile the elders looked about in surprise and shock, unable to comprehend being dismissed in such a manner. Sandaime had a worried expression as he stared at his pupil's retreating back. Danzou, however, appeared to be amused and even pleased with the new Hokage's act.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Kusanagi in hand, Naruto stood silent and cautious in the mist-shrouded grove in the mountains ringing the Rain's industrial capital, observing his opponent. Uchiha Itachi stared right back at him, tilting his head ever so little, as though attempting to puzzle Naruto out in the drizzling rain. Their Akatsuki cloaks were draped over a tree limb in the near distance. Naruto almost wish that he'd kept his, as he was shirtless and it was _fucking cold_ right now.

'_Guess you're not gonna make the first move,'_ the blond groused, bored with the inexorable waiting game. _'Typical.'_

These sparring matches had become commonplace in the three months since the battle and Hanzou the Salamander's demise. Following the capital's capture, the madman Pain had instituted a wider, more extensive purge aimed at wiping out all traces that the murdered leader had ever existed. Friends, relatives, business associates and even mere acquaintances – all those who held even the slightest connection to Hanzou were being hunted down and exterminated.

Naruto and Itachi hadn't been ordered to participate in the slaughter, though the blond _jinchuuriki_ wouldn't have minded much. The latter had instead dragged him back into the mountains to train, rather than relaxing in the metropolis. Pain and Konan were preoccupied with their own business, working to consolidate their new regime, and neither had been bothered to care about the two teenagers' departure. For his part, the blond shinobi was now growing a little irritated with having to rough it in the wilderness non-stop. The results were more than worth the inconvenience, though.

"Let's begin, Naruto-kun," the illusionist muttered in his careless monotone, Sharingan not even activated.

The blond glowered and struck without acknowledging his opponent. Naruto switched Kusanagi to his other hand and tensed his right arm, which then changed into a thick serpent and rushed towards the Uchiha traitor, hissing and snapping as it extended to inhuman lengths. He was getting much better at using his cursed seal on a partial basis.

Itachi sidestepped the incoming attack, as expected, and Naruto then directed his monstrous snakelike appendage to sink its lethal bite into the nearest tree. The corrosive poison caused the wood to begin to rot and wither upon contact. The _jinchuuriki_ retracted his serpent arm, reeling towards the tree at a high speed. Naruto slashed at the motionless Itachi's head with his glowing sword as he made his pass, prompting the Uchiha to duck low. Itachi then turned and launched the _Housenka_ towards his moving opponent's back.

"Fuck," Naruto hissed under his breath due to the blazing missiles closing in behind him, knowing that he'd been suckered.

He released his bite grip on the tree, and then circled behind and began to scramble up the rotting trunk. Itachi's attack plowed into the wood near where Naruto had bitten and tore right through, causing the trunk to shatter and the timber to plummet towards the ground. The demon vessel stood atop the smoking lumber and kept his stare leveled on the Uchiha as he rode down towards the ground, sheathing his sword and running through hand seals at the same time.

Electric charge began to crackle around the blond, and he opened his mouth and spewed a high-powered lightning bolt at his opponent. Itachi avoided Naruto's _jutsu _with casual, nonchalant ease, and the charge grounded out as it made contact with the rain-soaked mountain earth. Then, still covered in residual lightning, Naruto dove towards the illusionist, measuring a crushing punch at Itachi's head. Rather than evading, Itachi's hand snaked out and grabbed the other's wrist. The Uchiha then gripped his throat with his remaining hand and threw him down hard into the ground.

'_Creepy bastard,'_ the blond growled in his mind, rolling with the impact as Itachi closed in on his position.

He used his momentum to land upright and blocked the Uchiha's opening salvo. Naruto had no chance to counter against Itachi's lightning-speed _taijutsu,_ but he was at least able to maintain his guard and avoid being hit, which was more than he could have ever hoped to manage three months earlier. Regardless, the exchange was leading him nowhere, and he knew that he would slip up and get tagged sooner or later. He'd might as well have it happen on his own terms.

Naruto picked his moment and, rather than dodging, stepped into a punch. The impact made his head snap to the side, but due to Itachi's lithe build, the blow lacked the power needed to hurt the powerhouse demon container, even though the Uchiha hadn't pulled his punch. Naruto's unexpected amove caused his opponent to pause enough to allow the blond to land a vicious sledgehammer punch. The blow sent Itachi soaring backwards into the air, where, rather than crashing to the ground, he appeared to levitate in midair. The illusionist remained emotionless, staring down at Naruto, who then realized his predicament.

'_Genjutsu, shit!'_ He groused, not knowing when or how Itachi had snared him, given that he had never activated his Sharingan. For all Naruto knew, the entire duel to the point might well have been taking place in his imagination.

He concentrated chakra into his brain and snapped the illusion, right as Itachi's blade plunged deep into his back. Naruto gurgled and spat blood, but then grinned. The Uchiha managed to _Shunshin _right in time to avoid the sudden explosion, as Naruto's Kage Bunshin detonated. Mud and rock rained into the air, scattering all over the secluded mountain grove.

"Impressive," Itachi droned into the rain to no-one in particular, as Naruto was now nowhere to be seen. The illusionist was relaxed beneath a tree, at ease despite being involved in an intense battle. "I almost didn't notice the substitution in time. From this point on, I'll be more cautious."

His Sharingan blazed into existence. Naruto might have grinned, had he been in position to see it. The Uchiha then had to leap aside, as a serpent's head burst through the muddied earth to swallow him whole. Itachi launched a Grand Fireball at the reptile, but his attack had no noticeable impact other than enraging the summoned serpent. The hulking creature slithered right through the _jutsu_ and back towards the Missing-nin.

"Hn," the Uchiha grunted, almost looking amused with the situation.

Itachi didn't bother to avoid the oncoming monster's charge this time, but instead stared hard at the snake, his Sharingan spinning. The summoned beast then halted in its tracks next to Itachi, and the illusionist used another quick _Shunshin _to escape as a second reptile emerged through the ground. The motionless initial serpent then turned about and rushed to attack its colleague, hissing and biting. The second serpent's mouth opened and Naruto leapt out, landing on the ground between the two battling creatures.

"Bah, cheap trick," he spat at Itachi, who arched a brow in response. _'Mother fucking genjutsu,'_ he added in his mind, not at all amused with having his summon turned against him.

"There is no such thing as cheating in battle, Naruto-kun," Itachi stated, repeating the phrase that Naruto had uttered several times in the past, though the blond doubted that the illusionist knew as much.

The _jinchuuriki _dismissed both serpents, causing smoke to explode into the air around him. Naruto ducked his head on instinct as several shuriken whizzed past his ear, and leapt outside the smoke. He then saw the shuriken pass him again, too late to evade the metal shinobi wire coiling around him, binding his arms to his side. His position allowed him to make no resistance when Itachi pulled back on the wire and reeled him in like that poor old cock pheasant, slamming a brutal knee into Naruto's stomach. The blond almost lost consciousness as the air stored in his lungs was expelled against his will.

His training allowed him to remain coherent enough to see Itachi drawing his weapon and he rushed backwards towards a tree. The illusionist cocked his head and strolled in Naruto's direction, keeping his blade at his side as he made no particular haste about it.

The Kusanagi then unsheathed on Naruto's mental command and extended to its normal length. The glowing blade moved to intercept Itachi's quick_ tanto_ swipe, which would have ended the match in accordance with their agreed terms. First blood was the prevailing rule, though the earlier instance didn't count, as the victim was a clone. Itachi's swirling crimson gaze narrowed in thought as he pushed against Kusanagi, which didn't budge in the least and changed positions to shadow him when he moved to circle past it.

He then had no more time to ponder the matter. Naruto concentrated chakra into his right leg and brought it crashing down into the mud, causing the wet soil to shake around him. The overall impact wasn't quite what it would have been under drier conditions, but the resulting shockwave tremor was still enough to almost knock Itachi down. The Uchiha Missing-nin retreated via _Shunshin_ as sharp earthen spikes shot upwards in a ring around Naruto, allowing his opponent time to escape. The blond raised his arms, directing the Kusanagi to slice through the wires binding him in place.

"Let's see how this one works, then." Naruto whispered, making hand seals.

Kusanagi then divided into two identical blades, and this process then repeated thrice more. Sixteen glowing white swords hovered in the air around him, all pointing right at Itachi. Naruto motioned with his hand and all sixteen weapons streaked towards the illusionist, changing directions and surrounding the slate-haired genius's position. Itachi looked among the replicated swords now circling around him and then back to Naruto.

'_Try this on for size,'_ the _jinchuuriki_ thought, grinning in anticipation as he prepared to give his newest invention a trial run.

The mind-controlled weapons all struck at once, circling and darting at the Uchiha, who blinked in response and glided about to evade the endless sword strikes as well as he was able, but it was a hopeless battle. Naruto's blades pressed Itachi hard, operating outside his visual scope to negate the Sharingan's prediction. The dance continued until the illusionist backpedaled to avoid six incoming slashes, but was grazed along the ankle with a seventh outside his peripheral vision, opening a minor wound. The Kusanagi replicas vanished in an instant and the real weapon returned to its triumphant wielder's hand.

"Oh ho ho ho," Naruto couldn't help gloating, almost unable to believe that he'd bested Uchiha Itachi, as he'd never even come close until this match. "First blood to me, I _win."_

Two things then transpired at the same moment. The wounded Itachi disappeared into nothingness and a sharp pain resonated along Naruto's arm. He glanced down to see Itachi's disappearing _tanto_ and the thin line sliced into his bicep, across his ANBU tattoo. Blood trickled down his arm, though the negligible cut healed over within seconds. Naruto realized at once what had happened.

"I believe that makes me the victor," the genius's monotone then sounded behind Naruto, no conceit in his voice as he deactivated his _doujutsu._

The blond sheathed his sword and crossed his arms with a bitter scowl, coping with the knowledge that he had been no closer to winning than usual. He again had no clue when his sparring partner had placed him under another _genjutsu_, but it was quite apparent that he'd been dancing upon the Sharingan master's invisible strings all along. Itachi's slice had broken the illusion that the blond hadn't even known that he'd been trapped inside.

"You're a bastard," Naruto snarked, not quite serious, "a cheap, underhanded bastard."

Despite his griping and somewhat bruised ego, Naruto had reason enough to be pleased. His new Kusanagi-based attack would have scored him the win, had he not been trapped in a pre-existing illusion, meaning that it would kill most other enemies, and Itachi would never be his opponent in a real battle. No-one else would be able to catch him in a _genjutsu_ without his knowledge with the same ease as the Uchiha could. Moreover, he had managed to push Itachi into using his Sharingan this time, which was real progress.

"I'm certain that I was born in wedlock, Naruto-kun," Itachi replied in a smooth voice, reaching a manicured hand towards his hair to wring out the rainwater. He then cleaned his bloodied blade and strolled over to reclaim both his and Naruto's Akatsuki cloaks. "That should be enough training until tomorrow morning."

Naruto blinked, surprised that Itachi had attempted, though without much success, to make a wisecrack. Though, having had several months to become acclimated to Naruto's presence, the reticent Uchiha would now on isolated, random occasions condescend to indulge the _jinchuuriki_ with small talk, depending upon his whimsical disposition. Though Itachi was a genius among geniuses, humor still seemed to be something alien to him.

"Fine, whatever," the container conceded with a shrug, his pride still smarting over the loss despite all common sense. "Next time, I'm gonna kick…"

The threat that Naruto knew that he couldn't back up with action was cut short when Itachi grimaced and reached towards his temple. The blond looked on, and whatever had happened to the older teenager passed in a moment. Itachi then put on his cloak.

"The Leader summons," the Uchiha explained the situation in a succinct manner, without needing to be asked.

Hearing Pain mentioned caused Naruto to think back on the megalomaniacal Akatsuki Leader, who was the reason behind the blond's current obsession with training, as well as Itachi's. That man, or men, or God, or whatever Pain was, possessed radical powers and no doubt had even more ridiculous strength that Naruto still hadn't seen. Pain had made Hanzou the Salamander look like a snot-nosed Genin. To kill him, Naruto would require more power and skill, much more. He would die in mere seconds in combat against the Leader as he was now, and he knew it.

"Heh," the blond _jinchuuriki _sneered, reaching back to scratch an itch on his neck, "we lowborn mortals had better get a move on then. Not a good idea to keep 'God' waiting."

The situation wasn't hopeless, however. He _was_ getting sharper, his speed and power improving with each round with Itachi. More than that, Naruto was getting smarter in the process. Fighting the Uchiha was like human chess taken to the most extreme level, so much unlike taking on someone like Kisame, where he knew more or less what to expect. Itachi's mental games and misdirection schemes were innumerable, and the Uchiha was not an opponent who could be overcome with strength alone, much the same as Pain. Naruto was learning to counter those cerebral tactics and answer them with his own. Moreover, he and Itachi had _some_ working knowledge about the Leader and his Rin'negan, having seen both in action, and would be better prepared when the critical moment came than Hanzou had been.

'_Now, if only I could stop getting put under genjutsu,'_ he still couldn't help thinking.

"There is no need to return to the capital," Itachi stated, his voice mild. "The organization has its own special method to communicate orders over long distances."

The Sharingan master then sat down in the grass and assumed a meditative pose. He then ran through a quick seal sequence and proceeded to pass out, or so it appeared. Naruto moved in closer and waved his palm next to the Uchiha's head. No response. He then reached over, hesitating a moment in the process, and poked Itachi's temple, a dangerous presumption under almost all circumstances. His head bobbed back and then down again.

'_Lights are out and nobody's home,'_ Naruto almost whispered, his hand gravitating to the Kusanagi.

The temptation to kill him was almost unbearable. Itachi was sitting there motionless and helpless as a vegetable. Removing his head would open up more doors than Naruto could hope to imagine. Uchiha Itachi's death could serve as Naruto's ticket to an unconditional pardon in Konoha, or a pass into whatever Hidden Village he desired with another war looming and perhaps even Jounin rank. He could march right back through the gates to his home village and be received as a hero.

The price on the illusionist's head – an almost inconceivable reward totaling more than a hundred million _ryo_ – in addition to the evolved Sharingan located therein could bring him wealth surpassing his wildest dreams, and_ that_ would make_ all_ things possible, even putting together his own organization to oppose Akatsuki. Furthermore, to become the man who sent Itachi into his grave would make Naruto into a legend in his own time, perhaps equal to his old man, granting the blond-haired _jinchuuriki_ the thing he desired most: to be known and respected throughout the shinobi world.

He looked down, noting that his sword was now in his hand and extended to its proper length once more. The voices within his head, whether those were the _juin,_ the demon inside his stomach or his own darkest subconscious, were whispering to him to seize the moment that would never come again and to murder Uchiha Itachi. Naruto knew that the proposal was good advice, and that the older teenager had manipulated him into a hopeless situation and that this was his one golden chance to make his escape and survive.

Yet, knowing all this, he still didn't strike. His conscience, or what precious little he still had, hasn't been what had stopping him. Itachi was no innocent, and had committed reprehensible crimes that the whole world knew about, not that Naruto possessed a moral high ground in comparison, as he had done similar things and had reveled in doing so. He plopped down onto the ground against a tree, glaring at the still Uchiha in the rain.

'_Arrogant bastard,'_ he sniped with the same base insult again, still glowering at the motionless Akatsuki member.

He doubted that Itachi had even given a thought to lowering his guard. Naruto didn't know what the quiet illusionist was thinking. Perhaps he didn't care whether he lived or not, or he might have been so secure in his mindset that the thought that Naruto might kill him had never so much as crossed his mind. The older teenager had never struck him as having so little common sense, but then again, he was _the_ Uchiha Itachi.

Furthermore, this was no isolated incident. Naruto could recall all the chances that Itachi had 'given' him to stab him in the back, whether it was allowing him escape his clutches in Tanzaku-Gai, and indeed helping him to do so, or giving him the chance to run in River. Each time, however, there had been a catch, either the stolen scroll or the clone he had sent to trail Naruto's movements in secret. The blond thus decided that that was his real answer. Itachi was a sick creep who liked to mess with his mind, and there was no more complicated explanation. The even simpler alternative, that the other trusted Naruto not to murder him, didn't even cross his mind.

Soon enough, Itachi stirred and rose again. Naruto didn't know how much time had passed while he had been thinking. The Uchiha looked towards the sword still resting in his companion's hand and tilted his head in understanding, seeming to know what Naruto had been contemplating doing, but seeming not to be the least bit surprised or concerned. Itachi's blasé attitude towards his training partner almost stabbing him in the back both irritated and unnerved the _jinchuuriki._

"That sure was a quick pilgrimage," the blond sneered, all too willing to disrespect Pain…so long as neither the Leader nor his blue-haired bitch was in the area to catch him in the act.

"You and I are being dispatched to Rice Field to gather intelligence," the Uchiha stated, now in business mode and disinterested in acknowledging Naruto's banter. "Our spies report that the Raikage has decided to marshal Kumogakure's two _jinchuuriki _in order to rupture whatever impediment has been halting their village's southward advance. Pain has commanded us to measure their capabilities."

That was…interesting. Naruto had missed his chance at taking on another _jinchuuriki_ the last time with Sabaku no Gaara thanks to that weirdo Kimimaro and Orochimaru's meddling, much to his own demon's chagrin, not that Naruto much cared what it thought now. Not that he thought that it would have been a real contest.

"Fun," Naruto said and meant it, more than willing to venture into a war zone and raise a ruckus. "I'm calling dibs on the Hachibi. Have to settle the pecking order and all that mess. You can have the Nibi," the blond continued on in a magnanimous voice, as though he were doing Itachi some great honor.

The Uchiha glanced back over at the blond while tucking his arm into his sleeve and putting on his rain-drenched Akatsuki _kasa._ Naruto, who had remained shirtless to this point, shook out his cloak and then slipped it on over his bare chest.

"You would be ill-advised to provoke combat." Itachi murmured, shaking his head. "Remember that neither vessel can be killed now, lest Pain visit the same onto us. The mission parameters are to observe and nothing more."

"Right, sure," the demon container said, waving warning aside as he was known to do. "Let's head down the mountain to the village. I need a decent meal and a real bed to sleep in, and then we can leave in the morning."

Itachi nodded, expecting the demand, and the pair started down the mountainside. Naruto kept his sword in his hand, humming a little tune in his head as he walked behind the illusionist. Neither shinobi could have known then that their hazardous reconnaissance mission would turn into much worse, leading them both into a scenario that would be remembered as a nightmare even more terrible than the absolute worst that Itachi's sick mind could have ever conceived with _Tsukuyomi_, in which two demonhosts were but the most pedestrian horrors.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Far to the Elemental Continent's south, in the archipelago known in collective as _Umi no Kuni_, a certain pale-skinned, serpentine Missing-nin wore a bitter scowl as he examined his latest experimental specimens in their holding containers. Orochimaru had precious little to be pleased about in recent months. His attempt to sunder Konoha and assassinate his old sensei Sarutobi had ended in a humiliating loss in which the Sannin had almost perished, and his attempt to subvert Uzumaki Naruto had gone no better.

His organization had been reduced to a complete shambles, due to the rout at Konoha's hands and then Akatsuki's raid. Though Orochimaru had somehow managed to kill one S-Ranked attacker and use his possession technique to make the other Akatsuki into his new host, the 'win' was a narrow and hollow one at best. Had Kakuzu not made a rare mistake in taking Orochimaru's bait, the serpent would now be a dead man and his head mounted onto some exchanger's wall.

"Ergh," the snake man then grunted in pain and had to use a hand to brace against the nearest wall, as his new host pushed against him again.

The Jashin cult member Hidan did nothing but add to the Hebi Sennin's consternation. The Hot Springs _Nukenin_ was ever resilient despite having his spirit trapped deep with Orochimaru's subconscious, almost as though he possessed a true immortal soul due to his pathetic cult's _kinjutsu._ Hidan did not appreciate his position, and he thrashed against his restraints on a regular basis in an attempt to wrest back control over the host. The man's enraged cursing and screaming resonated deep within the Sannin's mind during his more spirited outbursts, irritating Orochimaru not a little.

"_Agh! Mother fucking piece of heathen dog shit!"_ Hidan's nasal voice shrieked at him. _"You just fucking __**wait**__ 'till I break outta here! I'm seriously gonna bite your fucking throat out and shit down it, and then I'll sacrifice your rotting corpse to Jashin-sama! You'd better fucking __**believe**__ you're going to Hell for this transgression, asshole!"_

"Be silent, vulgar wretch," Orochimaru hissed aloud, exerting his dominance to quash the meddlesome cultist's spirit down again and exhaling a heated breath as the voice went mute once more. "Ku ku ku," the serpentine man chuckled into the lab, wishing that he had someone around to vent his ill temper upon.

He didn't, unless he chose to retrieve some luckless specimen to abuse. He again looked into the aquatic holding tanks, which contained kidnapped locals who had been altered into mermen, to use a generic and colloquial term. Hoshigaki Kisame had been the inspiration behind the research, which was nearing completion now that Orochimaru had returned to this poor place and taken a personal hand in the research. That second-rate lab rat Amachi, an assistant who had been given control over the place and its mission in his master's absence, would never have achieved workable results on his own.

That scientist had since been reassigned to leading raids on mineral shipments with the one positive result that his experiments had managed to produce, a mindless little girl whose name the serpent man didn't care to learn. No doubt the man, who believed that he was a rare genius, viewed the grunt work as the deliberate insult that it was. Soon enough, Orochimaru would be able to mass produce aquatic soldiers similar to the girl, and then he would be able to tighten his stranglehold over the archipelago. From there, he would proceed to extend his grasp into the neutral non-shinobi nations along the seaboard and move across the ocean into the barbarian lands on the southern continent. For those ends, he would also require the materials that Amachi's raids were bringing in.

'_I might have lost my holdings on the continent, but I will rebuild my empire and emerge stronger than ever,'_ Orochimaru vowed. _'There is no need to rush. After all, an immortal has all the time in the world.'_

Orochimaru knew that his advantage lie in being inconspicuous. He was quite content to recuperate and observe as the Five Great Nations tore one another apart in the war that he had orchestrated with his covert alliance with Suna and attack on Konoha, even though it hadn't succeeded. He rather doubted that his old village would survive the war, what with his weak old master retiring and passing on his mantle as Hokage to a person somehow _less_ deserving than the withered baboon had been to start with.

'_That dissipated slag, Tsunade,'_ he hissed in his mind, the knowledge that Sarutobi had named_ her_ – the weakest Sannin in his opinion – to the position that he had once denied Orochimaru sticking in the serpentine man's poisonous craw. _'Even that ignoramus Jiraiya would have been a more suitable choice.'_

The Hebi Sennin then halted his musings and turned, sensing someone approaching his position. He knew that Amachi and his raiders – Orochimaru's remaining supporters that numbered less than a mere two dozen in all – were not due to report back until sometime next week. That meant that the interloper had to be…

"Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru spoke aloud, now recognizing the silver-haired man's presence, amused and surprised that he was back so soon.

His latest meeting with Sasori must have taken much less time than anticipated. The pallid man had known that Akatsuki would never leave him be, but to have his old partner hunting him down, as he'd learned when the puppeteer had contacted his plant Kabuto, was nonetheless disconcerting. The Scorpion had a much more intimate knowledge as to how Orochimaru's mind worked compared to his associates and would not be lured in and overcome with the same ease as Hidan and Kakuzu had been.

"Orochimaru-sama," the medic-nin answered back, emerging into the darkened lab. "I have some rather interesting news to report."

Orochimaru made a show about pressing his hands to the water tank nearest him and peering into the live contents, while using the glass to observe Kabuto's image behind him. He wondered whether his old partner was even aware that Orochimaru had broken his mental control over Kabuto, and that the medic was _his _servant now, and not Sasori's.

"Oh, I have no doubts," the snake man said with a leer. "First, however, I would like to hear about Sasori's movements. Please tell me how the grand hunt progresses."

Then, there was a chance that Kabuto had changed sides, and was now working against him on the Scorpion's orders. The bespectacled man had a treacherous disposition that his master well knew about and took amusement in. The snake was likewise aware that he was in a precarious position at the moment, with an unstable host and his network in ruins, and that he wouldn't have even given so much as a second thought to abandonment had he been the one in his personal assistant's current position. Nevertheless, Orochimaru hoped that this wasn't the case, as he would _hate_ to have to kill Yakushi Kabuto. The medic's skills were rather invaluable, nigh irreplaceable.

"He'll be scouring around Iwa next," Kabuto reported with a smirk, the dim light in the room making his glasses shine. "I've planted enough evidence at our old outpost in the region to convince him it's still in regular use."

"Excellent," the Snake Sannin purred, crossing his arms beneath his chest and letting out a sinister chuckle. "Now then, let's hear that interesting news."

"Right," the silver-haired medic said, pushing his glasses up his nose, "according to the latest intelligence I've received, it would appear that the long-running civil war in the Rain has come to a dramatic end. The rebels attacked the national capital and killed Hanzou the Salamander three months ago, or so I've been told." Kabuto then halted his report, pausing to gauge his master's reaction.

"You're right," Orochimaru ground out, attempting to maintain his composure, "that is indeed most interesting."

However, underneath, the serpent man's head was pounding with rage. He knew, and he knew that Kabuto _also_ knew who'd led that rebellion against old Hanzou. Pain and Konan now had their own village, which meant that Akatsuki had _its_ own village, which in turn meant that Orochimaru's previous calculations about the organization's present resources had been invalidated, and the setbacks incurred due to Kakuzu's death were rendered moot. He had counted on the Falls-nin's loss crippling Akatsuki's operational potential and putting the group into a rebuilding position, much the same as his own. Now, however, he was _still _crippled while Akatsuki had an entire _nation_ at its disposal.

"That's not all," the medic-nin went on, his tone sounding rather smug, at least to Orochimaru's ears. "You'll never guess who took part in the battle."

"Enlighten me," the snake man turned about with a predator's grace and hissed at his personal medic, lacing his poisonous glare with enough killing intent to reduce a lesser man to a quivering mess.

Kabuto almost took a step back and cleared his throat. The sweat that rolled down the medic's temple was evidence enough that he'd gotten the message loud and clear. He realized that he'd pushed Orochimaru's tolerance to its limit, and that additional cheek might well have lethal consequences, his valuable skills be damned.

"Uzumaki Naruto was there, dressed as an Akatsuki member." Kabuto said without preamble this time. "He seems to have abandoned his village."

The serpent man blinked and stared at his subordinate through slit pupils. His lips morphed into a twisted grin. He began to chuckle, which soon turned into maddened laughter. This time, Kabuto did take that protective step backwards, as Orochimaru had now lost all control over his emotions and was growing ever more unhinged with each passing moment.

"Ku ku ku…that little _shit,"_ the serpentine madman rasped with murder written all over his countenance. "He vexes me to no end."

His language was still more evidence that his rage was overruling all sense. Orochimaru never swore, considering such vulgar speak to be beneath his matchless intelligence and noble carriage. Killing Uzumaki Naruto outright was no longer enough to appease the mad Sannin. No, he planned to take the insolent _jinchuuriki_ alive and bring him back to his lab stronghold, where he would then dissect him with a dull, rusted scalpel, one little piece at a time.

"I have to admit, I'm disappointed." Kabuto said in a light and conversational tone. "I'd pegged Naruto-kun as having more intelligence than this."

The Sannin said nothing, still stewing in his anger towards the idiotic child who had looked askance at his service and then turned right around and entered Akatsuki's, and had stolen his prized weapon in the process. However, Kabuto's words soon sunk in and his rage bled down and turned into contempt. Perhaps Naruto was ignorant towards Akatsuki's agenda, but he had nonetheless sealed his own death warrant in going there. Pain would never let him go, and would use him until the time came to kill him.

'_First, however,'_ the snake man thought as he glanced towards the table that held his old hand, pleased with the knowledge that he still held an upper hand against Akatsuki in one respect, _'he'll have to come and retake those rings. And I will be waiting.'_

"No matter," Orochimaru said at length, waving the matter aside. "The stupid brat will perish right alongside his new comrades."

The silver-haired medic nodded, quite content to move on while his master was back in a reasonable mindset.

"There's something else to report, also," Kabuto then stated in a chipper voice. "Rice Field seems to have been struck with a strange, unknown plague. There are stories about people mutating into monsters and attacking others, who in turn either die or undergo the process themselves."

This news brought Orochimaru's good humor back, and the madman at once adopted a malicious grin, thinking with twisted glee about his last scheme and the unexpected results it had produced. He had poor little Juugo to thank, it seemed, whose rare genetic problem had served as a basis in creating the serpent man's cursed seals. Orochimaru had held prisoners in his North Base to be used as guinea pigs in the process, in which he introduced the special protein that he had developed using Juugo's genetic code as a basis into their human bodies.

Most had perished and others had mutated into hideous demons similar to the seal's highest level, uncontrollable berserkers who could do nothing except maim and kill. The _juin_ that he had placed on Anko-chan was the completed process that this research had produced. Orochimaru had kept those earlier experimental specimens locked up tight. Kabuto had then released them all into the wild upon leaving the region on the serpent man's orders.

Now, however, the condition seemed to have evolved over time into a transmutable pathogen – a lethal virus similar to rabies, the Snake Sannin supposed. This plague was now spreading through Rice Field and creating more despair than Orochimaru could ever have anticipated. Perhaps it might even continue to spread into surrounding shinobi nations. He quite hoped that his homeland would soon have the chance to experience his newest, though accidental, horror.

"Dear me," the serpent man then whispered, pretending innocence, "how _terrible._ I do hope a cure can be developed."

"Indeed," Kabuto concurred, likewise insincere. "In the meantime, though, I'd like to head back over there and capture some live samples. I would be quite interested in reproducing this disease. For research purposes," he added, as though he had no plans to put whatever results he might achieve to use.

"Please do," Orochimaru said with a smile. "I too would like to examine the possibilities."

The silver-haired shinobi bowed and took his leave with a smirk. Orochimaru kept his maddened gaze on the medic as he disappeared and then slithered over to sit down in his high-backed chair. He was excited again, ecstatic with the chaos that his plan had sown. Rice Field was the single largest rice producer on the continent, hence the name, and harvest season was looming. The disruption there would cause shortages all over, including in the Hidden Villages.

"Famine," Orochimaru chuckled into the darkness, "war, pestilence and unavoidable _death._ Ku ku ku…"

He couldn't wait to see how this new ingredient would intermix with the turmoil brewing now on the mainland, and he alone was in the ideal position to sit back, relax and watch how events transpired. The snake man was certain that it would be quite the show.

'_Fools,'_ he thought, sneering at both Konoha and Akatsuki, his greatest enemies, _'you've both made the same mistake. You never should have allowed me to survive. And now, you'll all suffer for that oversight.'_

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

"No more damned rain," Naruto's voice sounded out beneath his bamboo hat.

Itachi didn't bother to glance over, in step beside the blond, though Naruto could tell that he too was relieved to escape the torrential downpours in Ame. The pair had crossed into Rice Field via its western border two hours earlier, taking a roundabout route through Taki and Kusa to make it to their destination whilst avoiding their mutual homeland. Neither Missing-nin had much interest in clashing with the elites that were no doubt patrolling the borders now, given the impending Kumo invasion. Itachi had his cautious nature, and Naruto hoped that he'd be getting his requisite action later when the Akatsuki pair ran into Kumo's two _jinchuuriki._

'_Fuck the Leader and his orders,'_ he thought, _'as long as the Cloud starts it.'_

"You're rather enthusiastic this morning," his 'partner' muttered, a bit irritated with the noise disrupting his quiet time.

"I'm _dry,"_ was the unapologetic response, as Naruto removed his _kasa_ and the sunlight poured into his golden blond hair. "You know," he continued, now looking over at the illusionist, "something's weird out here. I haven't seen a soul since crossing the border. You'd think there'd be people out working," Naruto then pointed towards the rice paddies visible in the distance, not a soul tending them.

Itachi nodded, no doubt having noticed the same phenomenon. The older teenager halted his brisk walk to dismiss a shadow clone that he'd sent to scout the road ahead, looking to make certain that there were no people about. Naruto meanwhile sensed something _wrong_ in the air that he couldn't believe had hadn't noticed earlier.

'_This is,'_ he whispered in his head, danger senses alight but not scared, _'not human…'_

"Yes," the Uchiha agreed in a low voice, though Naruto didn't know whether he was concurring with his earlier words or with his unspoken thoughts, "something is amiss here. Not even a continental war should impair rice production."

Itachi then resumed his walk. He passed Naruto and then turned down a side road that headed towards the south-east and appeared to lead uphill. The _jinchuuriki _blinked and replaced his _kasa,_ and called out to the Uchiha's retreating back.

"Er, Itachi-san" the blond stammered, "I thought we were taking the main road to the north," he went on, curious but unwilling to push the Sharingan user too much.

"The nearest village is a ten minute walk in this direction," he said in a calm voice and motioned Naruto to come along.

The demon container shrugged and acquiesced, running along the ground while Itachi moved into the trees above. He knew that the other shinobi was right, and that there was no sense in running headlong into the unknown. There was something wrong, and the pair intended to gather some intel. The Cloud contingent was going nowhere, except perhaps in the Akatsuki duo's direction.

The trip didn't take long, as the two adopted 'mission speed,' using chakra to boost their movements. Naruto and Itachi arrived at the poor village soon enough, and noted that this place too seemed to be deserted, at least at a glance. This time around, the blond took the initiative and leapt onto a ramshackle wooden hut, so as to get a better look inside. He saw nothing, and leapt back down into the town square. He turned to see Itachi moving into the street behind him, and crossed his arms with a scowl.

"Now what in the Hell," Naruto started to grumble, but the incoming attack cut his moment short.

The blond sensed the attack coming at once, and whirled to see the winged monster rushing towards him. He whipped out the Kusanagi on instinct, lengthened it and removed the creature's head in one careless motion without taking the time to attempt to learn what it was. The bleeding head arced through the air, and Itachi's Grand Fireball incinerated the headless corpse in the same instant. Naruto noted that the Uchiha had to have reacted to the attack quicker than him, to hit at the exact same time given his location.

"I could've handled that alone," he hissed back in a childish manner.

"Hn," was the response, as the illusionist was more interested in examining the attacker's head than in nursing his companion's ego.

"That thing's not human, whatever it is." Naruto noted, keeping his hand gripped tight on his glowing sword. "Now we know what's been spooking the locals."

The thing did have a certain humanoid appearance, but last Naruto checked, people didn't have horns or crimson skin. Itachi knelt over the head, and the _jinchuuriki _noticed that he had activated his Sharingan and was using his Bloodline Limit to memorize the skull in pinpoint, excruciating detail. The genius soon nodded and stood, but he didn't deactivate his crimson heritage. Naruto took the occasion to glare and punt the head across the path into a building.

"Interesting," was the rather inappropriate word that Itachi used, considering that a mutant _demon_ had attacked them.

Naruto had no time to vocalize that opinion; however, as a girl's loud screaming then pierced the air. He glanced over to his companion, who was instead staring at the sound's origin point, which seemed to be on the path leading into the village outskirts. The blond rushed right towards the scream and removed his _kasa_ once again, hot blood quickening in anticipation. Behind him, Uchiha Itachi shook his head and moved into action behind his impulsive partner. Thus began the charge into Hell.

**End Chapter Three**

_**Next Chapter:**__ Two Akatsuki members do battle with a horde of berserk mutants while attempting to rationalize the source behind the unidentified demonic creatures. In Konoha, Danzou works behind the Hokage's back and assumes the initiative to expose and punish a traitor. Naruto undertakes a dangerous assignment and runs into serious trouble. _


	4. Investigation

"_Interesting," was the rather inappropriate word that Itachi used, considering that a mutant __demon__ had attacked them._

_Naruto had no time to vocalize that opinion; however, as a girl's loud screaming then pierced the air. He glanced over to his companion, who was instead staring at the sound's origin point, which seemed to be on the path leading into the village outskirts. The blond rushed right towards the scream and removed his __kasa__ once again, hot blood quickening in anticipation. Behind him, Uchiha Itachi shook his head and moved into action behind his impulsive partner. Thus began the charge into Hell._

**Chapter Four: Doing As He Pleases – Naruto's Investigation**

Disclaimer: Naruto's not mine. I'm not getting paid to write this, et cetera.

* * *

Naruto pushed chakra into his legs and leapt over the wooden wall surrounding the little mountain village, Itachi less than a step behind. He glanced down in midair to see an innocent-looking girl his age gripping a kunai and standing back to back with an older male shinobi, the latter wielding an enormous cleaving sword. More than a dozen mutants had the pair surrounded.

The _jinchuuriki_ thrust his arm outward and used a partial cursed seal mutation to change it into a snake, which expanded and rushed towards the mutant now rushing at the girl. The snake's poisonous bite tore into the creature's skull, puncturing its cranium. Naruto pulled back and pried the monster's head apart, sending blood and brain matter gushing into the air. The blond then launched the Kusanagi towards another mutant closing in on his rear, grinning down at the orange-haired girl who was now staring up at him in awe.

'_Damn I'm good,'_ Naruto gave his ego a pat on the back as he made a quick one-handed seal – a trick Itachi had shown him, causing the airborne Kusanagi to split into six replicas.

The hulking, dinosaur-like mutant howled in torment as the six white glowing blades impaled deep into its thick hide. However, the attack was somehow not enough to put the monster down, and it began to stagger towards the blond despite the swords punctured into its vitals. Naruto reeled his serpent arm in and returned the hissing appendage to its normal human state, and then leaned over and prepared to counter the beast as it gained momentum. He couldn't help but notice the parallel to a past opponent, both in the mutant's appearance and in its unstoppable resilience and determination.

'_Just like Kimimaro,'_ Naruto mused, but the circumstances didn't permit him time to pursue that thought to its logical conclusion. _'At least this one doesn't have the bones.'_

The nameless cleaver-wielding shinobi let out a war shout and brought his blade down into the dinosaur mutant's arm, but lacked the strength to cut through the beast's iron hide. The mutant howled again and raised its arms to deliver a crushing counterattack.

"Idiot," Naruto hissed under his breath, wishing that the person had taken the girl and retreated so that he and Itachi wouldn't have to deal with unwanted distractions.

He ran through several hand seals, now glad that he'd had the sense to cancel his own mutation, and ended with a snake sign. The ground beneath the wounded mutant changed into thick mud, causing it to sink to its waist. The distraction was enough to cause the monster's attack to miss. The wet earth began to move, gaining in speed to become a rushing mud river that swept the beast headlong into the village wall with crushing impact.

Naruto sneered and began making additional seals to press his hard-won advantage with his _Doryuudan_ technique_. _However, Itachi's _Housenka_ beat him to the proverbial punch. Fire-encased, blazing hot kunai plowed into the beast's hide as Naruto dismissed his replica Kusanagi blades and called the original back to his hand, traveling through the pre-existing wounds to incinerate the primitive demon's insides. The mutant thrashed and roared against the indescribable pain. Itachi silenced the raging creature with a single hand sign, detonating the explosive notes attached to his kunai. The helpless beast exploded into a bloodied smear as the blast opened a gaping hole in the wooden village walls.

"Tch," the blond groused, irritated with being outdone. "You're such an _ass,_ Itachi."

The Uchiha ignored Naruto's complaining. His attentions were preoccupied with the two mutants now engaging him at once. Itachi used his Sharingan to predict and counter their movements, evading attacks with a natural grace that made the _jinchuuriki_ envious.

"Look out!" the orange-haired girl's voice cried out beside him.

Naruto took an instinctive step backwards and whirled around to see the insect-like mutant closing in on him. The creature's sharp armored pincer lashed out at him at an inhuman speed, leaving him no time to dodge. The blond could do nothing except raise his arm to block. The pincer clamped down onto his ANBU bracer, crushing the light metallic protector as though it were an aluminum can. Naruto battled down the urge to moan as his attacker exerted destructive pressure on his wrist.

'_Fuck!'_ he howled out in his mind, knowing that he would soon be missing an arm unless he did something.

He measured and swung the Kusanagi at the creature's head, but the monster's other pincer intercepted and clamped down onto the glowing blade. Naruto attempted to pull it loose, but lacked the strength in his current position to match power with the beast. Meanwhile, the pressure on his trapped wrist kept increasing. He concentrated chakra into his legs, but the bug somehow seemed to guess what he was planning and hoisted him into the air so that he couldn't touch the ground.

There seemed to be no help coming, either. Itachi's two opponents were somehow managing to hold him in check, and the idiot with the cleaver was locked in combat also. The girl was shaking in terror, helpless as she tried not to drop her kunai. Not even a proper kunoichi, Naruto guessed. He could now hear a scraping sound in his wrist, as the bone was losing its strength and beginning to compress.

"Damn it," Naruto growled, pumping chakra into his cursed seal as a last resort as the mutant raised its barbed tail to deliver a killing strike. "Like Hell I'm getting maimed in a place like this," he continued as the vile markings began to slither across his tanned skin.

The creature then thrashed and relaxed its grip, however, as the girl moved into action and plunged her kunai into an exposed seam in its armored exoskeleton. The tail whipped over and knocked her sprawling onto the ground, but the distraction granted Naruto enough space to raise his legs and deliver a chakra-empowered drop kick to the mutant's right shoulder, causing it to release its pincer grip on the Kusanagi as chitin broke with a loud crunch.

Naruto wasted no time in severing the creature's other arm with the glowing blade. He next slammed his weapon into the monster's skull, killing it with one clean stroke. The mutant dropped dead onto its knees, and the blond glowered and kicked its motionless husk onto the ground. His ruptured wrist was even now beginning to swell with blood, making it hard to use. The _jinchuuriki_ allowed the arm to dangle at his side, seeking his next target as he deactivated his seal, unwilling to accept its corruptive taint unless he needed to.

That next opponent came straight to him instead. Naruto's instincts pricked and he managed to roll to the side in time to avoid the charging ogre. This mutant had a more humanoid appearance, ignoring the hideous warts and indentations covering its torso.

'_You're one ugly motherfucker,'_ the blond thought with a taunting grin, sidestepping an incoming punch_. 'Then again, so are the rest…'_

The ogre snarled in anger as it missed Naruto and then grabbed and uprooted a small spruce tree. The demon container blinked and moved to avoid a downward swing. The monster started to push him back using its improvised club. Naruto bit down on his lip as he hit the ground to duck underneath a tree swipe and dropped his sword, smearing blood onto his thumb. He managed to complete the summoning ritual right as the ogre prepared another swing, and a massive crimson serpent burst out through the ground and coiled around to protect him.

The uprooted tree splintered against the snake's hard scales and the enraged reptile then descended upon and devoured the surprised mutant whole in retaliation, its poisonous bite goring into and rendering the creature helpless to resist. Naruto didn't bother to loiter around and watch the serpent digest its meal, instead checking the area to make sure that his own side was clear and then turning his attention towards Itachi.

The older teenager moved his head to avoid a lunging blow and grabbed onto the oncoming demon, using its own momentum to send it crashing into its cohort with a martial arts throw. The two mutants crashed into one another with a sickening thud, and Itachi turned and ran up along the nearest tree trunk. He then somersaulted backwards into the air and executed an acrobatic midair twist while making hand seals, and rained a huge Grand Fireball down onto his two unprepared victims' heads.

'_Show-off bastard,'_ Naruto groused, grabbing onto his hurt wrist and tucking the swollen limb into his cloak using his good hand.

The smoke cleared, revealing a large, charred crater in the earth where Itachi's attack had made contact. Nothing save smoldering ashes existed therein. The Uchiha, however, kept his attention concentrated on that spot, his swirling crimson stare narrowing ever so little in suspicion. Thus, he had no trouble reacting to the mutant that burst out moments later.

The crustacean-like beast had black scorch marks mottling its armored hide and exuded a rank, cooked stench. The mutant was pissed, taking rattling breaths as its large crab claws clacked and snapped with unrestrained rage. Naruto decided to get the earlier assist back and morphed his arm again, extending the serpentine appendage to coil around the monster's arm and halting its initial lunge. The _jinchuuriki_ brought all his inhuman strength to bear in order to hold the struggling creature in place.

"Now we're even," the blond cackled, pulling back with his snake arm and tightening the coils on the ensnared mutant.

"Hn," was the predictable response, as Itachi started into a quick seal sequence that Naruto _knew _he'd seen somewhere.

His answer was a high-pitched, telltale chirping sound. The blond Missing-nin shook his head, disbelieving, as Itachi's right hand became encased with electric current. Naruto noted that the Uchiha's _Chidori _was a whole lot sloppier and less intense than his weak little brother's. However, the assassination technique nonetheless accomplished its purpose, piercing through the crustacean's armored chest as though it were wet tissue paper. Itachi withdrew at similar speed, managing to avoid getting mutant blood onto his hand. The creature twitched and went still.

The thousand birds quieted and silence reigned. Itachi glanced down at his hand and nodded, and then tucked it into his cloak, deactivating his Sharingan. Naruto took a silent kill count, noting that there had been more enemies at the start than were dead on the ground now. The others must have retreated into the wilderness, he reasoned.

"Shit," Naruto said to the approaching Uchiha, observing the carnage surrounding the mismatched quartet. "This little quest keeps on getting weirder."

Itachi glanced down at Naruto's arm, which was tucked into the demon vessel's clock in a manner identical to his own, and then strode past him towards the two unknown shinobi. The _jinchuuriki_ blinked, but started in the same direction. The stout warrior with the huge meat cleaver was helping the still-downed kunoichi to stand. He called the Kusanagi into his good hand again and shouldered the glowing sword. The two shinobi looked between Naruto and Itachi, letting his stare rest on their slashed Konoha _hitai-ate._

"You have our gratitude, strangers," the male spoke in a sincere voice. "I'd thought she and I were worse than dead."

"You two must be Fuuma," the Uchiha stated rather than asked, as though it were impossible that he could be mistaken.

"That's right," the big man responded, strapping his cleaver to his back. "I'm Fuuma Hanzaki. Her name is Sasame," he next introduced the kuniochi, whose cheeks reddened in response to the sudden attention, too embarrassed to speak.

Naruto glanced over and sent Sasame a sinister grin. Her blush deepened, but he soon realized that she was looking past him at Itachi, who didn't seem to care a whit. His mood soured at once. Not that he was the least bit attracted to the brat, but a little damned gratitude would have been nice. He _had_ saved her useless skin a moment ago.

"The pleasure is ours," Itachi said in his haunting monotone, not bothering to return the introductions. "Now then," he continued, motioning towards the butchered corpses littering the earth all around, "we would like a detailed explanation on the circumstances here."

"Take a look around," Hanzaki grunted, sounding bitter. "Thanks to this epidemic, our homeland's been changed into this nightmare. Those _creatures_ were once normal people, like us."

Naruto and Itachi looked over at one another, digesting this tidbit. Some unknown pathogen was – at least according to Hanzaki – causing mutations in people, turning them into rampaging monsters.

"Oi, I take exception to being labeled as a normal person," Naruto declared, pointing the Kusanagi at the Fuuma warrior. "Though I wouldn't want to be compared to _them _either," he added in a less boisterous voice.

"Then the apparent source to this issue," the Sharingan master muttered, but then stopped his statement.

'…_Is Orochimaru.'_ Naruto completed the sentence in his head. _'Fucking snake bastard.'_

"You two ought to leave this place as soon as possible," Hanzaki interrupted. "There's nothing here now except ghost towns and lost dreams."

"How poetic," Itachi deadpanned.

The _jinchuuriki _repressed the urge to chuckle, and instead dismissed his serpent.

"Not happening," Naruto continued in his partner's place, "we've got business in these parts. Besides, I'm not a person who can leave something like this alone."

That last part wasn't a total lie, as the blond did tend to get involved in things that were neither his business nor his obligation – a do-gooder despite his people-hating tendencies. He did think that this exchange represented an odd role reversal, though, with Itachi making the sarcastic remark and he, Naruto, having to pick up the Uchiha's slack.

"I see," the Fuuma warrior spoke at length, not quite trusting Naruto and Itachi but likewise unwilling to turn such dangerous men into enemies. "I guess we _could _use the help," he added, looking around at the slaughter. "You two had might as well come to our hideout, then. There's not too much to be had there, but at least it's better than camping in the woods with the monsters."

"That will be acceptable," the illusionist agreed, surprising the blond. "Please handle the mess, Naruto-kun," he said, turning back towards the _jinchuuriki._

Naruto's more rebellious instincts railed against being commanded to clean up, as though he was some servant, and he almost told the older teenager to do it on his own. He shook his head and used a one-handed seal to created several shadow clones, which went about hauling the bloodstained, mutilated corpses and stacking them in one large pile. He then mutated his good arm one last time and used it to spew a _Karyuu Endan_ onto the heap. He looked back towards Itachi, but the Uchiha had vanished – as had the two Fuuma.

"Bastard!" Naruto cried out as he rushed to catch up.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

The 'hideout' was not quite what Naruto had been expecting. Rather than a remote mountain stronghold or something similar, the Fuuma had taken the blond and Itachi to a large merchant town along the north and south trade route linking Fire and Thunder. Hanzaki and the other Fuuma shinobi who had declined to enter Orochimaru's service had been 'working' as robbers prior to the outbreak, and had made the town their base. Now, however, it had become a survivor center; the sole remaining haven in Rice Field.

The Fuuma kunoichi, Sasame, had revealed all this and more while escorting the pair to a room in a run-down motel located along the town's main avenue. The girl hadn't made so much as a peep during the earlier introductions, but had turned into a regular little chatterbox as soon as her brutish-looking kinsman, Hanzaki, had taken his leave. To his credit, Itachi had been quite convincing in pretending to care about the crushing brat's mundane sob stories about her broken clan and this ravaged nation.

Naruto was sure that he wouldn't have been able to repress his scorn, believing that a proud shinobi clan that lowered themselves to crooking the knee to toilet scum like Orochimaru deserved to be ripped apart at the seams. Thanks to Sasame's blushing preoccupation with his stoic partner, the blond demon container hadn't been expected to participate in the discussion at all. He still wasn't pleased with their current predicament.

"Man," Naruto complained, raking a hand through his blond hair. "I can't believe we're getting mixed up with these," he paused and completed the sentence in a low, dangerous hiss, _"people._ I thought we had our own mission."

For a long moment, Itachi was content to ignore him. The Uchiha was standing at the mirror in the bathroom, his skin pinkish due to the hot morning shower he'd taken several minutes earlier, and was occupied with cleaning his painted nails. The older teenager's long slate hair was unbound and streaming down his back, and he was stripped bare save a white towel bound around his waist and that strange bead necklace he liked to wear.

Naruto continued to observe him, but not in an admiring manner. He couldn't help noticing that Itachi's exposed skin didn't contain so much as a single cut or scar, and bore no markings at all save his ANBU tattoo. For a man who had served time in Konoha's Black Ops and had completed more high-ranking missions than seasoned shinobi thrice his age, such a thing was _unreal._ The blond couldn't help thinking back to that drunken night he'd seen Anko in the nude. The kunoichi had been crisscrossed with battle scars.

Those particular memories in turn made Naruto's groin stir, and he shook his head and pushed both them and _it _back down. No sense in stirring the ashes when he could do nothing in his present location to sate the resulting urges, not unless he wanted to bugger his roommate – and he didn't, though he had a sinking suspicion that Itachi would let him.

"I'm not the one who charged to their rescue, Naruto-kun," the Uchiha at last looked over, noticing his companion's lingering stare, and answered him in a smooth voice. "You might do well to reconsider the heroics next time."

Itachi examined his image in the mirror one last time and then strode back into the main room. Naruto continued to watch him as he sat down at the small wooden desk that was located in the corner and leaned against the wall, picking up and considering Naruto's mangled ANBU bracer in the process. The blond looked down at his damaged wrist, now pressurized with bandages to reduce the swelling.

"You _are_ the one who agreed to come here, though," the irritated _jinchuuriki _snapped right back as Itachi relaxed, "and put some damned clothes on."

The pair then heard a startled gasp outside the door, something that a normal person might never have discerned. Itachi gestured Naruto to investigate, causing the blond to pull a disagreeable scowl, but he rose and used a _Shunshin_ to reach the door in an instant. He pulled it open, and a surprised Fuuma Sasame let out a squeak and stumbled backwards. Naruto reached over and caught her, not quite certain as to the reason, and pulled the kunoichi trainee back upright.

"Eavesdropping isn't a nice habit, sweetheart," Naruto said with a leer and let the startled girl go. "You might as well come inside," he called back, shooting Itachi a malicious grin.

The Uchiha's blank, emotionless stare indicated that he was neither amused nor impressed with his blond comrade's antics. Itachi knew that Naruto had invited the Fuuma girl into the room in order to irritate him, given her obvious attraction to him. He remained seated, not bothering to retreat into the restroom and change into something less lewd than his current undress.

"Fuuma-san," Itachi muttered with a curt nod, his thin lips quirking into a small, insincere smile, "good morning."

"Hello," Sasame replied in a low mumble, cheeks bright red as she looked between Naruto and his Uchiha companion. "I hope I'm not interrupting," she added in a rush.

Naruto blinked and glanced back towards the blushing kunoichi as he plopped onto his mattress, noting that he was almost as tall kneeling down as she was standing up. The Fuuma girl's gaze roved nonstop between him and Itachi, her cheeks turning ever deeper red. The _jinchuuriki_ likewise turned his stare towards the older teenager, who titled his head in response and crossed one leg over the other.

Naruto was no idiot, and didn't need much time to reason out what Sasame was thinking. The demon container looked down at his current dress: a tank top and boxer shorts, as well as at his unmade bedding, and then sent another reluctant look back at the almost naked Itachi. His own cheeks turned red, but not with embarrassment.

"Oh _Hell_ no," he almost shouted, glaring towards the kunoichi. "Don't even _think_ that."

Sasame didn't seem quite sure whether to be relieved or disappointed with the news.

"I've brought some more medicine and bandages," she declared, reaching into her small backpack and producing some medical gauze. "I thought those might need changing," the Fuuma girl said, tapping Naruto's wrist.

"Er," the blond stalled, a bit surprised. "Thanks," he said, as his earlier anger dissipated.

Naruto knew that there was no urgent need to treat his wounds, as his demonic regeneration would repair the internal damage on its own given enough time, and had more or less done so overnight. Despite that, he didn't mind the attention. He held still to allow her remove the old wrappings, watching in suspicious silence as Itachi stood and strolled back towards the restroom, no doubt to plot his next counter move.

The blond, utilizing his Sharingan-like insight, was then able to predict the Uchiha's parting shot and turned his head in time to avoid being caught in the lethal S-ranked _kinjutsu,_ the Full Moon Towel Drop. Sasame had her back to Itachi and suspected nothing. Naruto didn't look again, even when he heard the bathroom door snap shut.

'_Creepy-assed fucking bastard,'_ he swore in his head.

"You're skilled at this," Naruto complimented the Fuuma girl in a bored, distracted manner as she rewrapped his arm, keeping ideal pressure on the bandages.

"I'm still learning," was the quiet response.

The blond hummed and rapped his knuckles on the hotel room's wall. Itachi emerged a moment later, this time clad in a silk robe and shower slippers. Sasame meanwhile cut Naruto's bandages and pinned them.

"So, Itachi-san," Naruto said as the illusionist returned to his seat, "about that _Chidori…"_

"Sasuke attempted to murder me with the technique during the attack on Konoha," Itachi replied in a neutral voice, shrugging as though he couldn't have cared less about the matter.

The blond hadn't been aware that there had been an Uchiha reunion during the Akatsuki raid on the village. He'd been much too preoccupied with not getting killed in his own right at the time to give a steaming shit about Sasuke. Still, the news served as a stark reminder that Itachi was a cold-hearted bastard, ignoring the relative ease that the two had with one another now.

"Ah," Naruto snorted, grinning. "The Sharingan strikes again."

He was roaring with laughter inside, knowing that Sasu-chan would crap a brick at seeing his 'beloved' brother using his signature _jutsu._

"I didn't have the Sharingan active," the Uchiha droned in his usual apathetic manner, leaning against the wall again. "I did, however, manage to watch and memorize its short hand seal sequence. From that starting point, deciphering the other mechanics behind the _jutsu_ was a rather simple exercise."

The _jinchuuriki _snorted again, amused with Itachi's roundabout speech. Still, the sheer idea that the Uchiha could suss out a high-ranked killing technique like that with nothing more than a little trial and error was outright ridiculous. Then again, perhaps it wasn't so ridiculous. Boiled down, the _Chidori_ amounted to little more than concentrated nature manipulation. Naruto imagined that he too could cheat it, provided he wanted to – which he didn't. His choice weapon at close range was much better than that.

"Right," the demon vessel parroted back, "simple."

This little tidbit gave Naruto a sudden inspiration, however. The question was whether or not he could trust Itachi with the matter, and also whether the older teenager's apparent prodigious skill with assembling techniques extended into other shinobi disciplines. Regardless, he had long since accepted that it wasn't something he'd be able to handle on his own.

"I've been thinking," Naruto then said. "I want to check out Orochimaru's old stronghold in this region. There might be something in the place that can explain the plague," the _jinchuuriki _explained, "or whatever the Hell this problem is."

For a long moment, the Sharingan user stared at the ceiling, considering his companion's proposal.

"Perhaps, but I doubt it," the Uchiha answered. "Further, we don't know where to search. _He_ would be able to tell us," Itachi continued, meaning Pain but unwilling to mention the Leader's name or position with the Fuuma girl present, "but also won't approve a side mission without an acceptable reason."

Naruto understood that 'an acceptable reason' meant a purpose that would somehow prove advantageous to Akatsuki's agenda. He likewise doubted that something as humanitarian as researching a strange disease would be deemed as such without much persuasion on his own part, as he could tell that Itachi wasn't willing to assist in the matter. Not that the blond had a clue how to work that weird meditation _jutsu_ that his partner used to make contact with headquarters, and he didn't care to take risks with his mortal soul.

"I know where the base is," Sasame blurted out. "I've been there once, a long time ago."

The demon vessel clapped his hands, delighted to have such a expedient solution, and stood and headed towards the window.

"There," the blond gloated, leering towards a displeased-looking Itachi – at least, as irritated as the apathetic Uchiha genius ever appeared. "Problem's solved. You can tell me how to get there," Naruto declared, then directing his attention towards the kunoichi.

Itachi reached a hand to his brow and brushed an errant hair to the side. For whatever reason, he didn't seem to like this idea. Naruto wasn't planning to back down. He had personal reasons to do this, and his words made clear that he wanted to do it on his own.

"You would do better to go with Naruto-kun and show him, Fuuma-san," the Uchiha muttered. "He tends to get lost otherwise."

The blond sent the Uchiha a mulish glare, incensed both with the lie and with Itachi putting an unwanted burden on his back in sending a virtual noncombatant along with him on his dangerous 'assignment.' He shook his head and sent the girl a questioning look, both asking her whether or not she was willing to go and hoping that she either lacked the nerve or wouldn't want to go without Itachi being present with them. To Naruto's surprise and disappointment, Sasame nodded in acknowledgement. Now it was his turn to choose.

"That works too, I guess," he conceded at length with a sigh, knowing that this deal, no matter how galling, was the best compromise he'd get. "I'll be waiting outside in two hours, get geared up." Naruto then reached over to the desk to swipe Itachi's wallet and measured out enough cash to cover a week's expenses, to be generous, and then took a little extra to spite the illusionist. He didn't care. "You know where we're going and how long it'll take, so snag whatever provisions we'll need," he concluded, striding over and handing the _ryo_ to the girl.

"That was a rather curt dismissal," Itachi commented as the door slid shut. "You should be more polite to girls, Naruto-kun."

For an odd moment, Naruto thought that he was being serious, and indeed his expression revealed nothing to hint otherwise. He wondered what all those Uchiha women might have thought about his lip service to chivalrous behavior.

"You'll have to excuse me," the blond shot right back at him. "I've been known to get a mite cantankerous when I get stuck shouldering dead weight."

"Be extra conscientious about avoiding trouble during the trip and there will be no problem with her going along," Itachi stipulated, twisting the proverbial blade. "You'll have to protect her otherwise. You can consider it an incentive to be quick about the mission."

"Either that," he mumbled, "or an incentive to leave her to the monsters when she turns into a hassle."

The container knew his nature wouldn't let him do something like that, however, and it looked as though his companion realized that much as well. Itachi didn't even bother to respond to the comment, and instead began to pick at and clean his painted nails. Naruto realized that the Uchiha wasn't amused with his little 'rebellion,' and was determined to make the whole experience as unpleasant as he could in retaliation.

'_Like a sulking toddler,'_ Naruto almost sneered. _'I'll just have to give him a lollipop to quiet him down,'_ he reasoned, reaching into his cloak.

The blond bit his lip and raised the Fourth Hokage's scroll to his mouth, smearing blood onto the seal. He held it in place as the mechanism shimmered and unlocked. This act represented additional treason against his native village, but it had to be done.

"Here," Naruto said, placing the unsealed scroll down at the desk where Itachi was sitting. "These ought to make a much more challenging puzzle to work out than Kakashi's crap. Have a crack at 'em while I'm gone."

The older teenager tilted his head, and then reached down to unroll the document that he'd once stolen months earlier in order to coerce Naruto into meeting him at the ruined palace overlooking Tanzaku-Gai. Itachi traced the seals inked into the scroll with a painted nail, as though considering the contents, and at last activated one. The Akatsuki member blinked when a second, smaller scroll materialized in his palm, but then licked his lips upon exposing the material within.

"These are," he muttered, Sharingan activating as his brilliant mind seemed to whirl with possibilities.

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Dad's research notes," he elaborated, not even bothering to attempt to conceal his heritage. He was quite sure that Itachi either knew that Naruto was Namikaze Minato's son, or would soon guess it. "I don't like to admit it," the _jinchuuriki_ grumbled with a shrug, "but I don't know enough to piece his techniques back together right."

Humiliating though it was, it was true. Naruto's sealing abilities didn't extend past the requisite basics. He could store and retrieve items in scrolls and ink his own explosive notes, but recreating the Fourth Hokage's master work exceeded his capabilities. He hadn't enough time to learn the intricate art, and had no real aptitude in the discipline. Itachi was no true sealing master either, at least not in the same class as Minato, but he knew enough that he could at least reassemble the puzzle with all the pieces sitting there.

"The organization must never discover that these scrolls exist," Uchiha Itachi then said in a decisive voice, "Pain and Madara in particular. Yondaime-sama's knowledge in their hands could prove catastrophic."

The demon vessel thought that the Fourth's research could prove likewise catastrophic in Itachi's hands, but he had no choice but to take the risk. That knowledge would be instrumental in supplanting Akatsuki.

"Duh," was Naruto's scathing response, the blond insulted that his 'partner' thought that he even needed to point out something _so fucking obvious._ "I'm heading out now," he added, not caring that he still had well over an hour to kill until he was supposed to meet his guide. "Don't wreck the house while I'm gone, sweetheart."

The blond slipped out without waiting to hear Itachi's non-response. The Uchiha stared at his unexpected present, and a slow smile spread across his thin lips. He opened another scroll and spread its contents onto the desk, and set to work, pleased that Naruto's ever predictable nature had worked to his advantage once more.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Beneath Konoha, Danzou sat at a simple desk inside his secret underground bunker. Torches provided the dim lighting within the austere chamber, which had but one visible entrance that its master was able to see at all times. The scarred elder peered down at the documents on his desk. First was one Uzumaki Naruto's personnel record, which Danzou had managed to procure and reproduce at great length and with equal great care during Hiruzen's little gambling trip several months prior. The weapon's combat dossier had been sequestered inside the Hokage's personal archives, inaccessible to even the council elders.

Danzou had read through Uzumaki's service record several times now, but its contents still made the retired _Ne_ commander and Konoha elder seethe inside. The document listed a meeting between the _jinchuuriki_, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame that took place months prior to the recent invasion. The brat hadn't even been interrogated on the matter.

Danzou then glanced over towards the next item sitting on his desk – the intelligence report that an undercover Root agent stationed in Grass had sent in mere hours earlier. The report stated that Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Itachi had been spotted together the previous morning passing through the Kusa region, and that the pair seemed to be headed right into Rice Field. Uzumaki's association with the terrorist organization 'Akatsuki' was now common knowledge within shinobi circles, due to his trademark indiscretion. Though he was a potent combat weapon, he made a rather poor shinobi in the scarred man's estimation – useless in all applications other than out and out slaughter.

'_No matter,'_ the old man thought, gripping his cane. _'That is all the use the village would ever have for the miserable little traitor regardless. Not all tools are universal.'_

Danzou was, as were almost all the council elders, convinced that Uzumaki had gone rogue and aligned with Akatsuki under his own persuasion rather than Hiruzen's orders as the retired Hokage had claimed, but he could prove nothing at present. For some ridiculous reason, Tsunade was supporting the old bastard's obstructionism and there was no-one on the council or elsewhere in the village was willing to oppose the strong woman at the present. The Princess had managed in one short, blunt meeting to cow the elders into tentative submissiveness – something that Hiruzen had never managed throughout his decades as Hokage.

The one-armed war hawk couldn't help but approve. Democratic procedure, in Danzou's opinion, was slow and inept and held no logical place within a shinobi village. Konoha needed a strong and authoritarian Hokage rather than impotent domestic squabbling – and now more than ever, now that her enemies loomed on all sides. The council had been a required evil during Hiruzen's latter tenure, when his advancing age had rendered him less than able to shoulder Konoha's administrative burdens on his own, but this was no longer the case. Thus, the council needed to be curbed and Tsunade had done so well.

Danzou hadn't been the least bit enthusiastic with Sandaime's chosen successor when he'd made the announcement. She had come into consideration with three damning black marks against her – as Hiruzen's pupil, as a healer, and as a woman. Danzou had presumed that Tsunade would continue her master's weak-hearted policies as Godaime Hokage, but up to this point she had proven to be quite the pleasant surprise, proving with little doubt that Hashirama's noble blood ran true within her veins. Humbling that council represented one example, and there were others as well.

No doubt the Princess was a much better choice to protect Konoha against her implacable enemies than the one-armed and part-blind Danzou – something that the aged hawk took no issue with acknowledging. His convictions ran much deeper than mere vainglorious pride, and his previous scheming to be named Hokage had all to do with strengthening Konoha and nothing to do with seeing his mutilated head carved onto the mountainside. He was willing to shelve that agenda and support the new Hokage, so long as Tsunade made the proper decisions to preserve Konoha and kept the village's best interests closest at heart.

'_And when she can't or won't,' _Danzou vowed in his mind, leaning his cane against the concrete wall nearest him. He then took his brush and started to ink a mission scroll in Root's special code, _'I will.'_

No matter whether or not Uzumaki was innocent, and no matter whether or not Hiruzen had indeed ordered him into Akatsuki, he had to be returned to Konoha at once. His power and his reputation as a _jinchuuriki _were much too integral to the village's war machine to allow him to roam about and wreak havoc across the land as a rogue shinobi. He was too much like a wild beast and would soon become accustomed to living without his leash, and would never be broken back into it unless he was caught soon.

Danzou completed his work soon enough and then stared down at the scroll, the still wet ink shining in the torchlight. He then went about returning the various documents to their proper places inside his desk, though he stored Uzumaki's personnel record within his robe instead, desiring neither to risk someone breaking into his bunker and locating the restricted dossier in his possession nor burn the precious evidence he'd gone through so much trouble to obtain. That task done, he reached beneath the desk and activated a hidden seal to release stored heat through the wood, which permeated into the scroll paper and quick dried the ink. Danzou rolled up and sealed the scroll, placed it inside his robe next to the other document and then grabbed his cane.

He then began the trek back to the outside world, his cane clicking against the concrete as he departed his subterranean workplace and entered into the bunker's long corridor. He passed two more doors along the route and glanced into each. One contained the underground lair's storehouses, packed with adequate provisions, combat equipment and medical supplies to withstand a prolonged siege. Danzou was well aware that he possessed dangerous enemies both inside and outside the village. The opposite room housed the barracks, designed to provide shelter to his personal _Ne_ guards and across that room was the door that led into his own living quarters. Danzou never slept within his public residence, which was located right above his hidden stronghold. He instead rested here, entrenched beneath Konoha with the earth and his elite guard standing between him and all potential threats.

The scarred elder knew that there were those within Konoha who would mock his precautions and dismiss them as mere paranoia. Danzou, however, remembered the previous wars and the shadow horrors, and had experienced their ravages. He remembered his elder brother, who had been a prosperous arms merchant and a true patriot and had been most instrumental in providing a less industrialized Konoha with much needed black market munitions during the First War, when her other large suppliers had severed ties and accepted more lucrative contracts with rival villages. One night, Hidden Sand assassins had attacked his home and butchered him in his sleep alongside his pregnant spouse and two small children in order to send a message to others who might have been harboring similar ideas.

Danzou, at the time a rising star in the village's shinobi ranks and alongside the sitting Nidaime Hokage's star pupil – the eventual Sandaime, had been the one to discover the murders the next morning. He had pursued the assassins alone and without orders in an insatiable rage and had caught up to them near the border. Indeed, even the ever stoic Danzou had at one time allowed his emotions to govern his actions, at great cost. Danzou had succeeded in killing the entire squad, but had incurred the grievous wounds that were now visible to all in the process, sending him into his bitter premature retirement.

Though Nidaime had pretended concern at that time, Danzou still believed that Senju Tobirama had been pleased in his innermost heart to see him pushed out to pasture. Danzou's handicapping had all but guaranteed that the Second's prized apprentice would inherit the mantle without divisive argument and indeed, Hiruzen's nomination had been received with overwhelming support.

Danzou, ever the good soldier, had swallowed his toxic resentment and had killed his heart and had then devoted his whole existence to nurturing Konoha's strength in the shadows. He had been retained as an advisor within Sandaime's administration and requested to oversee a special division within ANBU, which became _Ne_. Danzou had plied his Root without hesitation to accomplish his sacred mission ever since that moment – despite that weak-hearted milksop Hiruzen's attempts to renege and uproot him.

'_Fools,'_ the scarred village elder thought with venom, despising those peace-loving imbeciles who had behaved though this short respite would be eternal and that war would never again come to Konoha and blaming Hiruzen in particular as being the source.

The narrow corridor at last opened up into a small chamber in which a winding staircase led to the hidden entrance into Danzou's residence above. In times long past, the scarred man would climb up and down. His legs were still in working order and he had never liked to allow his condition to become a true weakness. Now, however, he was well into his twilight and condescended to using the simple wooden dumbwaiter that he had since installed due to how long it took him to navigate the stairs.

The rope-drawn elevator creaked and swung a bit as it crawled along its upward path but made it to its destination without complications. Danzou stepped out and into another narrow corridor that led straight into his public residence's exquisite lounge. To an ignorant observer, it would have appeared as though he had passed through a solid wall. The entrance to the underground compound was concealed behind a potent illusionthat required several complex seals to maintain. The concealing 'wall' _felt_ solid in addition to its looks.

Danzou glanced over at the _Ne_ ANBU hidden in a shadowed corner and nodded in response to his bow, and then summoned him over with a hand signal. The elder handed his cane to the subordinate and then reached into his robes to retrieve the scroll he'd inked earlier. The Root soldier didn't need verbal instruction, knowing his mission. The masked man took the scroll and handed the sword cane back to his commander and master, and then bowed again and disappeared via _Shunshin._

Danzou stalked through the lounge, his lip curling in distaste as he took in the room's luxurious décor. He was a soldier and needed no such extravagance, and indeed he looked down upon those who did. However, the guests that Danzou was sometimes required to entertain due to his position as a council elder had certain expectations. He instead headed upstairs again, this time using the stairs to reach the home's second level.

From there, he was able to look upon the village he protected. The rebuilding work was nearing completion – a testament to the mercantile and industrial distinction that Konoha had attained during Hiruzen's split tenure as Hokage. Danzou would give the old devil his due. Sandaime had built the village into a reputable economic power. However, that power had come at an inexcusable cost, one that could be seen as the scarred elder saw proud and skilled Konoha-nin serving as common laborers in the streets below.

'_Disgraceful,'_ he thought, staring down into the streets and watching as respected Jounin master Maito Gai led his cell in assisting a salvage operation in the slum district, _'Konoha's most skilled ninja ordered to put their skills to waste during this time of war…'_

The Konoha slums were still in ruins, having taken enormous damage due to Uzumaki's reckless personal encounter with the _Nukenin _Hoshigaki Kisame during the Akatsuki raid. Even worse, industrial chemicals had spilled into the streets, making cleanup a slow and hazardous process. Ridiculous, Danzou thought, to risk compromising invaluable shinobi in such civilian matters, though he had no better idea at present. The village _did _need repairing and there was no special group in place to handle the disaster.

However, times were changing, both within Konoha's borders and outside. Tsunade was making long-needed changes to the village's shinobi training regime and operational protocol, much to her sensei's chagrin. Seeing Hiruzen hoisted upon his own petard with his hand-picked successor acting against his wishes was something that pleased Danzou not a little, and the elder had no doubt that the clandestine _Ne_ operation outlined within his coded scroll would strike an even graver blow against the senile old bastard.

'_One way or another,'_ Danzou mused, _'this ridiculous circus will soon be put to rest.'_

He continued to observe the village at work as a thin, sinister smile spreading across his lips, savoring his now inevitable triumph over his nemesis. He'd waited so long, and now Hiruzen had at last made the critical error. Danzou took a special glee in being the one in prime position to thrust the long overdue blade deep into the Third's weak and withered heart. Never could he have imagined that Sandaime's little pet would have served his purposes so well.

_**XXXXXXXXXXX**_

"This place stinks," Fuuma Sasame's voice quivered in the darkness, the Kusanagi's pristine glow serving as the sole light.

Naruto was in the lead as the pair investigated Orochimaru's abandoned base, which was indeed rank with a noxious odor. He was acclimated to blood, but decomposing corpses marked a new and most unpleasant experience, at least in such gross concentration. The place was stagnant with it, as the generators that had once powered the base had since lost power, thus killing the ventilation.

For over an hour, Naruto and Sasame had been searching the compound, but had to this point discovered nothing related to the strange plague or its mutated victims. Orochimaru had been quite thorough in burning his experimental records and equipment prior to leaving town, but Naruto somehow knew that the serpent man was to blame in this whole mess and was determined to dig up _some_ lead here.

"Better get used to it now," the demon vessel advised the kunoichi trainee in a rough and insensitive tone, though in truth he was also beating down his own gag impulse, "or else pick another career."

The horrid odor grew even stronger as the present corridor opened into a large circular room, and even Naruto recoiled in disgust. Sasame stopped in her tracks, and the blond looked back at her, and he then pondered whether he'd said a bit too much upon seeing her lurched over in a pitiable manner. The guttural, rumbling sound was all the warning he received, as the Fuuma girl retched and emptied her stomach onto the ground. Naruto managed to sidestep, but her vomit still splashed onto his shinobi sandals.

'_Fucking Hell,'_ Naruto groused in his head, glaring down at his ruined combat shoes. _'Now that's gonna stain...'_

He blamed Itachi, who had stuck him with taking the girl along, and made a mental resolution to take his puke-covered sandals and cram them up the stoic Akatsuki member's tailpipe as soon as he got back to town. Sasame shuddered on the ground, and retched again and tossed up a little more. This time, Naruto took a long step backwards to get clear. She at last stopped vomiting and looked up at him, her expression weak. She noticed his sandals at once and looked down again.

"Forgive me," she stammered out, cheeks redder than usual with embarrassment – a stark contrast to her skin, now pallid with sickness.

The blond had a stinging remark on his tongue, but swallowed it back. He couldn't quite hold the Fuuma girl responsible. Sasame was the one person who _wasn't_ culpable in this mess. This little expedition had been Naruto's brilliant idea, and Itachi had volunteered her to participate – all she had done 'wrong' was agree in an attempt to help. The Uchiha had used her as an unwitting pawn in order to discourage and 'punish' Naruto's independence. His hard stare relaxed a bit, and he raked his hair and strode back over to help her to stand, using a quick one-handed seal to create a Kage Bunshin and passing Kusanagi to the clone.

"Don't sweat it," the blond_ jinchuuriki_ grunted as he reached into his Akatsuki cloak and pulled out his water canteen, knowing that she had emptied her own earlier. "Here," Naruto said as he held out the lukewarm chemical water, "drink."

The girl leaned against the taller shinobi as she accepted with canteen with trembling hands and then proceeded to chug the acrid ration water as though she were about to perish due to thirst. Naruto had a sudden idea and reached down towards his right leg to pull out the reserve 'last resort' kunai that he kept strapped at his ankle, and then removed his slashed Konoha headband with his other hand. The _jinchuuriki_ pried the engraved metal emblem loose with the kunai and drew out the bunched cloth to create an improvised bandanna.

'_Not perfect,'_ he thought, examining the holes in the blue cloth where the screws in the plate had been, _'but it'll do.'_

Naruto remained silent and motionless, allowing her to continue to drink the water. He nudged her head when she at last drained the canteen and then covered her nose and mouth with the cloth, and tied it behind her ears – though a little tighter than he had to. He _did_ have his reputation to consider.

"That ought to help with the smell some," he said as he made her stand under her own power again and started into the large chamber. "You'll wait here while I check the interior," the blond continued. "There's no reason we should both have to deal with it."

He supposed it would be less dangerous not to leave the girl behind, but this place was long since abandoned. There was nothing here except the corpses and the worms and maggots consuming them. Naruto wasn't _too_ surprised, however, when she ignored his polite order and entered the chamber behind him. He reached out and caught his weapon as the clone tossed it back, and then dismissed the doppelganger.

"I want to help," Sasame said in a meek voice when he almost-turned back and regarded her with an impatient stare.

"Fine…whatever," the blond muttered. "Not a word about that little scene back there to Itachi-san," he added in a louder voice. "He'd never let me live it down."

The demon container moved deeper into the chamber and came across a rather unwelcoming sight. Burnt and rotting meat was strewn about in various pieces on the ground, though the main bodies had been removed, as Orochimaru wasn't about to leave his sordid secrets sitting out in the open to be discovered. However, there were still little hints as to who the victims had been mixed in with the remains, as brown silk shreds and purple rope pieces were also present.

He recognized the peculiar apparel at once. Naruto let out a low, appreciative whistle in response to the damage that had been done to Orochimaru's henchmen, thought he was relieved at the same time to know that the man responsible was now quite dead and that _he _would never have to run up against the man that Itachi had named as Kakuzu.

"How terrible," the Fuuma started in a low voice, as though she expected something else.

Naruto didn't consider the disparaging comment that came to his mind to be worth the hassle. To him, the terrible part was that he had to smell them now. He exhaled an irritated breath, considering the dried blood that coated the walls in this room.

"These were Orochimaru's personal guards," the blond replied as he looked down at the pieces with ill-concealed contempt, not having the slightest compassion to spare on the poor bastards. "His lair must be close to here. Keep moving," he commanded, waving Kusanagi towards the distant exit. "This place's making me sick too."

Naruto and Sasame headed into the inner sanctum, examining the snake's ransacked laboratories in an attempt to locate something. However, Orochimaru and his minions had been too thorough in cleaning house. There were burned papers strewn about, indicating that whatever records the Sannin hadn't considered worth removing had been put to the torch.

'_Fuck,'_ the _jinchuuriki_ thought, his mood darkening with each successive room he inspected. '_There's not a damned thing left here…'_

He supposed that he shouldn't have expected too much to begin with. No shinobi worth his salt would leave important documents in an abandoned location. He noticed one intact record sitting in the corner in the room he and Sasame were now digging through. However, a single glance revealed it to be some worthless report on local rice supplies. Naruto scowled and hurled the paper into the stone wall, and then stalked over and kicked in the door leading into the next chamber. He was about to step through when Sasame nudged his arm.

"Look over there," she said in a quiet voice, indicating back down the hall.

Naruto turned his head and noticed the large cat observing them in the darkness. He was now a bit irritated that he hadn't caught onto the animal's presence to begin with, and more so that some meek girl with almost no proper training had managed to do so. However, the more he squinted at the creature, the more he saw that something wasn't right about it. The thing didn't seem to possess chakra, and thought he couldn't be a hundred percent certain in Orochimaru's dungeon lair, he almost thought he could see right though the cat. He reached down to his ankle and pulled out his kunai again.

"Don't," the Fuuma started to whine, seeing what the_ jinchuuriki_ was about to do to an 'innocent' creature.

The blond ignored her and threw the missile. The kunai struck the cat head-on, and then passed right through it and clanged against the distant wall. The spectral animal let out a livid hiss and then turned the corner and ran. Naruto gave chase at once, augmenting his legs with chakra to keep pace and leaving Sasame behind without a single thought. The incorporeal beast soon disappeared right through a dead-end wall.

"Now that's interesting," the Akatsuki initiate spoke into the still, rotten air as he moved into a one-handed seal sequence. "Don't disappoint me now, lil' kitten."

'_Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu!'_ Naruto then snarled out within his mind as he opened his mouth and expelled two large, blazing dragon's heads at the concrete wall.

His attacks punched through the thick wall with ease. The blond, baser instincts roused, ran in straight behind his attacks, expecting the new opening to take him outside and to his intended target. Instead, however, the smoldering hole led into another interior lab. The second dragon's head continued through the hole and plowed into a large glass tank located inside the room, rupturing its contents and sending water gushing onto the ground. Naruto took a quick look around as the smoke cleared. The apparition had disappeared into thin air, it seemed.

He took another glance around, taking in his surroundings. The ruptured tube had innumerable thick wires connected to it, and there were other identical containers located in the enormous lab. Naruto surmised that this was where Orochimaru had kept his prisoners to be used as guinea pigs in his twisted experiments. He, however, was more interested in the ghost and the person he knew had sent it.

"Escaped," he hissed, stomping into the water puddle. "Tramp has a couple tricks, I see."

"Now that's what I call _rude,"_ a male voice laughed _beneath_ him. "You're calling me horrible names when we haven't even been introduced."

The blond scowled and leapt back onto drier ground, and watched with suspicion as the puddle began to coalesce and rise up into a humanoid shape. The person who emerged had snow white hair and grinned over at him through pointed, razor-sharp teeth. He looked like a piranha, Naruto decided at once. His look seemed to scream out, 'Mist-nin.'

"Look at this," the Konoha _Nukenin_ deadpanned. "The toilet can talk, and walk."

The strange teenager showed no anger at the backhanded remark, grinning even wider. He walked in closer, and demon carrier's glower deepened. The water man was in the nude and didn't seem the least bit conscious about his nakedness.

"Thanks a bunch, pal," the liquid Kiri-nin said, extending a hand. "Man, I thought I'd never make it outta that damned septic tank," he admitted, reaching back to scratch his neck.

Naruto shook his head in disdain but still accepted the handshake as he shouldered Kusanagi. Not to be polite, but because he hoped that this naked, grinning weirdo might know something about this installation or others like it. He could garrote the punk later.

"Don't mention it," he replied. "Now, I've got a question about this place."

The other teen's grip tightened, though not enough to hurt Naruto, and his grin turned menacing.

"You're Uzumaki Naruto," the white-haired shinobi sneered. "I know all about _you."_

The Mist-nin's other arm seemed to quadruple in mass without warning. The _jinchuuriki_ noticed the change in time to move his head and avoid the crushing punch, but the muscled arm compensated and grabbed onto his cloak, and the white-haired stranger hurled him across the lab and into another retaining tank, where he crashed through the glass and into the water within. Naruto's mesh-sewn collar protected his skin against the razor-sharp glass pieces. The impact still hurt like a bitch, however.

"That's right," he grunted as he got up, using the Kusanagi as a brace. "You're a dead man," the blond shot back.

The nameless naked warrior reached over to his ruined prison and ripped loose a thick metal pipe, and then grinned again and charged Naruto. The blond snorted and raised his long sword to intercept the overhand swing, and this time Naruto had no problem holding his own against his opponent's strength. The liquid man leaned over and bared his piranha teeth at the demon vessel.

"You're the one who's dead meat," he crowed through the interlocked weapons. "I was hoping we'd cross paths sometime! Now I'm gonna avenge Zabuza-senpai!"

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Meanwhile, a single kunoichi sat crouched in a dense grove near the entrance to Orochimaru's abandoned compound. She, unlike her illustrious colleague on this particular assignment, liked to work alone. Nii Yugito then leapt onto the moist earth as her spirit scout preened towards her position, landing with catlike grace. The Kumo _jinchuuriki_ held out her hand, and the apparition shimmered into nothingness upon making contact with her skin. Yugito hummed as the ghost – created using the Nekomata's peculiar chakra, unloaded its memories into her mind.

Her expression soon narrowed, however, as the scout's memories revealed that a certain _Nukenin_ was lurking within the compound's subterranean walls.

"So that's it," Yugito purred to no-one in particular, it seemed. "You're about the last person I expected to run into out here, Traitor Uzumaki."

Uzumaki Naruto's sordid deeds were no secret within her village. The spies had reported his treason against Konoha and subsequent alliance with the terrorist group 'Akastuki' in proper detail. Yugito couldn't have cared less that he had abandoned his home village. Konoha losing its _jinchuuriki _represented a great advantage to Kumo in the coming war. However, in selling his abilities to the Akatsuki, Uzumaki Naruto had also backstabbed his own kind. That criminal organization was hunting down the _Bijuu_ and their containers.

Yugito reclined against the nearest tree, considering what she had learned. She had no illusions about being able to best Naruto in singular combat, not when men such as Hanzou the Salamander, the Sannin Orochimaru and various other such luminaries hadn't proven able to kill the rogue _jinchuuriki._ Neither was it her mission to engage him. Nevermind that the Akatsuki were known to travel in pairs, and he was thus liable to have expert help within reach, even though her scout had not located his partner.

Two explosions then ripped through the compound, causing the ground to shake. Birds and beasts alike chattered and rushed to less dangerous grounds as a sinister presence pervaded the air, seeming to originate within the compound. She wondered whether her presence had been noticed.

"_**There can be no mistaking it,"**_ the Nibi's voice slipped into Yugito's mind. _**"That foul chakra can belong to none other than the Kyuubi, and there is something else terrible present as well. We must retreat now, child. He is more than we can handle on our own. That horrible power is equal to felling even us, the Undying."**_

"_Yes,"_ the container acknowledged, having decided to make a withdrawal on her own and not needing the Nekomata's prodding.

Though Yugito did harbor a certain desire to see Uzumaki's transgressions punished, she had no intention to perish here. No, she would link up with Bee and his team and share her unexpected knowledge, send a message back to the Raikage, and then decide how to greet their unexpected guests. Yugito steeled her nerves, knowing that she would soon have to cope with Bee's terrible verse. She might have wished she had taken her chances with the vile one.

'_You will soon remit your sins in blood, traitor,'_ Nii Yugito promised as she vanished into the swamps. _'Just you wait.'_

Ravens cawed in the tree above where she had been standing. Two midnight black birds spread their wings and took to the air in unison – one heading in her wake and the other soaring in another direction. The rest stared down at the compound and cawed once more as a battle raged within.

**End Chapter Four**

_**Next Chapter: **__Naruto recruits an unexpected ally, as Itachi has his own uncalled meeting. Plots begin to thicken all over the world, and a ragtag group ventures deep into enemy territory._


End file.
